I just watched a documentary about Handspring called "Springboard: the
secret history of the first real smartphone".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9_Vh9h3Ohw

I remembered back to the mid '90s when PDAs took off. I worked in a
company that wrote Mac software, and Newtons were common. We'd even set
up a localtalk network so the Newtons could print to our LaserWriters.

Then, oddly enough, US Robotics, makers of the modem we all wanted as
sysops, came out with the original Palm Pilot PDA. It didn't take long
for us to ditch Newtons and their sketchy handwriting recognition to
writing in Graffiti, the stylized alphabet the Palm OS could read.

I was so into Palms that I noticed myself writing letters and numbers on
paper in Graffiti.

The Palm was like having a curated internet with you, before we all had
the internet. I'd use a program called PocketMirror to synchronize
Outlook to my Palm, and kept email, tech notes, contacts, calendar items
and tasks synced to my Palm PDA. Avantgo worked like an RSS reader,
letting me capture web sites to read when I was offline, and there was
an ebook format that worked pretty well.

All this worked on a device that ran on AAA batteries and came with at
most 8 megabytes of storage.

What amazed me in thinking about the mid '90s was how many Palm
accessories there were! I had a work acquaintance who had a website just
for reviews of stylii and cases. I must have had a half-dozen cases for
mine, multi-color stylus pens, and a "black nail" stylus, a heavy metal
stylus resembling a nail with a teflon tip.

One weird accessory I had was the Pocketmail modem. It was a modem with
an acoustic coupler, see http://www.dansdata.com/pocketmail.htm for a
full write-up.

You'd get a @pocketmail.com email address, call a toll-free number and
press a button on the modem. You'd then press the modem/Palm device up
against the telephone handset and it'd transfer email. It worked pretty
well, up to a point, but the service disappeared without a trace.

Later, I had a Metricom packet modem and could browse web sites and send emails, but not much more. I upgraded from a USR model to a Palm III
with added memory, then a Palm V. A little later, the Treo came out and
added phone and data capabilities - but, by that time, a device called a Blackberry came along and I jumped ship.

To me, the Pilot filled a niche when I was commuting on public transit
and I was working away from my desk - but it wasn't long before bringing
the internet with you became an option.




... A NEW LIFE AWAITS YOU IN THE OFF-WORLD COLONIES!
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

Re: Palm PDAs
By: poindexter FORTRAN to All on Mon Mar 27 2023 12:42 pm

US Robotics, makers of the modem we all wanted as
sysops

I remember US Robotics making internal modems that were still full hardware modems (when many internal modems were WinModems), but other than that, what made US Robotics modems stand out? I had used a couple of MultiTech modems in the 90s, which I have a bit of a fondness for now.

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

US Robotics, makers of the modem we all wanted as
sysops

I remember US Robotics making internal modems that were still full hardware modems (when many internal modems were WinModems), but other than that, what made US Robotics modems stand out? I had used a couple of MultiTech modems in the 90s, which I have a bit of a fondness for now.

USR modems could connect to any modem, at least the ones they called V.Everthing. Most modems back in the 90's supported the common connection methods but not all. USR Sportsters were good modems but they also only supported the most common types. That was good enough for most.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-6
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (21:4/106)

I owned a Sony Clie back in the early 00s. I'm not sure which version of PalmOS it ran, but it was a nice little device. There was no sound though... Nevertheless, the fact that I could play RTS games wherever I wanted was awesome.

... He's dead, Jim! And his boots would fit me just fine.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

Re: Modems
By: Al to Nightfox on Mon Mar 27 2023 06:56 pm

I remember US Robotics making internal modems that were still full
hardware modems (when many internal modems were WinModems), but other
than that, what made US Robotics modems stand out? I had used a
couple of MultiTech modems in the 90s, which I have a bit of a
fondness for now.

USR modems could connect to any modem, at least the ones they called V.Everthing. Most modems back in the 90's supported the common connection methods but not all. USR Sportsters were good modems but they also only supported the most common types. That was good enough for most.

Ah, makes sense.
The MultiTech modems I used seemed to work fairly well. Their MultiModem series seemed to be aimed at being able to connect to different types of modems as well.

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

I just watched a documentary about Handspring called "Springboard: the secret history of the first real smartphone".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9_Vh9h3Ohw

Thanks - I'm watching just now... thanks for sharing, I'll try to reply afterwards. Interesting and fun... thanks.



|07p|15AULIE|1142|07o
|08.........

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

I owned a Sony Clie back in the early 00s. I'm not sure which version of PalmOS it ran, but it was a nice little device. There was no sound though... Nevertheless, the fact that I could play RTS games wherever I wanted was awesome.

I was also a Clie 'user' - I say it that way b/c I bought for my Dad.. he had some cheapy Palm and loved the high tech Clie.... lol.



|07p|15AULIE|1142|07o
|08.........

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

On 27 Mar 2023, Nightfox said the following...

Re: Palm PDAs
By: poindexter FORTRAN to All on Mon Mar 27 2023 12:42 pm

US Robotics, makers of the modem we all wanted as
sysops

I remember US Robotics making internal modems that were still full hardware modems (when many internal modems were WinModems), but other
than that, what made US Robotics modems stand out? I had used a couple
of MultiTech modems in the 90s, which I have a bit of a fondness for now.

USR Modems also brought sort of a pro-consumer feel with them at a price point that you could manage, along with noteworthy speed. If you started with a 300 baud acousticly coupled then moved to a 1200/75 split baud BT unit, the 4800 to 9600 to v56 USR upgrades were heady stuff!

POTS lines often needed to be "conditioned" removing bridge-taps, amplifiers, and other artifact producing wiring issues that for voice we were ignoring, but for data were too disruptive.

Just bought a New-Old-Stock v.Everything USR Modem off eBay. Still in its original shrinkwrap over packaging with stock labels. I gave away my USR modem decades ago, so I guess this will be fun & experimenting retro style.

--- Steve K9ZW via SPOT BBS

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/07/15 (Linux/64)
* Origin: SPOT BBS / k9zw (21:1/224)

On 27 Mar 2023, poindexter FORTRAN said the following...

I just watched a documentary about Handspring called "Springboard: the secret history of the first real smartphone".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9_Vh9h3Ohw

Saved to watch later - thanks!

added phone and data capabilities - but, by that time, a device called a Blackberry came along and I jumped ship.

I also did the Palms to Blackberry jump, then wandered around in the wildness trying different things that mostly failed (didn't you have a Simon too? that was such an embarassing product!) flipping between phone camps and having a separate PDA at times.

Eventually I dragged out my old Filofax purchased in the early '80s, and that is where my "permanent collection" of contact information lives, with my working collection synced between smartphone and devices. Dual-entry kludge, but it works.

--- Steve K9ZW via SPOT BBS

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/07/15 (Linux/64)
* Origin: SPOT BBS / k9zw (21:1/224)

Re: Re: Palm PDAs
By: k9zw to poindexter FORTRAN on Tue Mar 28 2023 06:40 am

Eventually I dragged out my old Filofax purchased in the early '80s, and that is where my "permanent collection" of contact information lives, with my working collection synced between smartphone and devices. Dual-entry kludge, but it works.

I was a Franklin Covey acolyte for most of the '90s. I carried a binder with me, with the addition of 2 floppy drives in a sleeve inside. One had all of the Netware and assorted drivers I'd need to do desktop support, the other had a bunch of documents on them.

Franklin had a PIM (personal information manager) app called Ascend that I used for a while, later, they moved to a series of scripts that made Outlook Franklin-friendly. Neither compared to paper.

I do miss the Franklin system, it's pretty straightforward, but dated in an electronic world. Information retrieval for a paper system was pretty amazing - you carried 3 months worth of planner pages and had the rest in a binder at home. You could get to any information past or present in less than 24 hours.

Back then, that was pretty good. Now, all your information and history are on apps on your phone.
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

I just watched a documentary about Handspring called "Springboard: the secret history of the first real smartphone".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9_Vh9h3Ohw

After seeing this, I used to have one of these around the 600 series. :P This was much later than the original Springboard, but they mentioned them in the documentary too - it was a good watch, thats made its way to my PLEX retro directory. :P Thanks.



|07p|15AULIE|1142|07o
|08.........

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

On 28 Mar 2023, poindexter FORTRAN said the following...

Eventually I dragged out my old Filofax purchased in the early '80s, that is where my "permanent collection" of contact information lives, my working collection synced between smartphone and devices. Dual-ent kludge, but it works.

I'm working on getting off of Google for email/contacts, but it *is* kind of a PITA.

For daily organizational tasks, I've been using a subset of Bullet Journaling which works very well. I wouldn't put my contacts in there, though; I had a previous employer steal one of my older journals when I was laid off and then snoop through it.

GreenLFC º e> greenleaderfanclub@protonmail.com
Infosec / Ham / Retro º masto> GLFC@mstdn.starnix.network
Avoids Politics on BBS º gem> gemini.greenleader.xyz

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

Nightfox wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

I remember US Robotics making internal modems that were still full hardware modems (when many internal modems were WinModems), but other
than that, what made US Robotics modems stand out? I had used a couple
of MultiTech modems in the 90s, which I have a bit of a fondness for
now.

The USR Courier was one hell of a modem, it had an upgradable chipset, supported the vee dot standards earlier than others, and I think that
HST was their own protocol.

They offered sysop discounts as well.




... Everyone's an atheist until it's time for a BIOS update.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

unixl0rd wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

I owned a Sony Clie back in the early 00s. I'm not sure which version
of PalmOS it ran, but it was a nice little device. There was no sound though... Nevertheless, the fact that I could play RTS games wherever I wanted was awesome.

Sony made some interesting devices back then - I remember a Palm with a keyboard, a 10" VAIO with a Crusoe chip, and if memory serves, one of
their palms had a memory card slot.

A company called TRG made a Palm III that took a CF card, I always
wanted one of those...




... A NEW LIFE AWAITS YOU IN THE OFF-WORLD COLONIES!
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

Nightfox wrote to Al <=-

The MultiTech modems I used seemed to work fairly well. Their
MultiModem series seemed to be aimed at being able to connect to
different types of modems as well.

I had a Telebit T3000, it seemed to only support some of the v
standards, but had its own compression scheme. I remember hearing an
odd modem handshake and seeing a full-speed connect from the only other
BBSer with a Telebit modem...

The reason for the odd modem? I always ended up picking up cast-offs
from work. The only modem I paid for was the first modem I bought, a hayes-compatible 1200 baud modem. I always had to dial in for work, so
work kept giving me cast-off modems to replace the crappy modem I had at
home.

Had I bought a modem, I would have gone all-in on a Courier.



... It's a bold strategy, Cotton, let's see if it plays out for 'em...
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

Greenlfc wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

Journaling which works very well. I wouldn't put my contacts in there, though; I had a previous employer steal one of my older journals when I was laid off and then snoop through it.

The Franklin Covey plan addresses the issue of planner theft - how can
they steal it when it never leaves your hand?

One of the Franklin precepts that feels outdated now is the idea of
prioritized daily planning. You start your work day with a list of
tasks, prioritized A, B, C, then the As are prioritized A1, A2, A3, and
so on. These tasks are aligned with intemediate goals that tie into
long-term goals and governing values.

You're supposed to knock out A1 first, then A2, then A3 in order of imporrtance. It sounds great in a world with offices and doors, and no
email.

But, the idea of finding out what matters the most to you, and making
sure that your goals and tasks align with what matters is intriguing.
You've probably had tasks that you needed to do but didn't resonate with
you, and tasks that were important on a basic level with you. The latter
get done well and quickly, the former sort of float around until you're
able to get to them.



... Remove specifics and convert to ambiguities
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
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paulie420 wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

After seeing this, I used to have one of these around the 600 series.

I always wanted a Treo, but, for some reason, held back. I think I
thought the costs were too high, but in retrospect, discretionary
income was much easier to come by. 90's mortgage + no kids, + 2
incomes...


... Question the heroic approach
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
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Re: Re: Modems
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Nightfox on Tue Mar 28 2023 06:44 am

The USR Courier was one hell of a modem, it had an upgradable chipset, supported the vee dot standards earlier than others, and I think that
HST was their own protocol.

They offered sysop discounts as well.

That's cool. And it would have been nice to get a sysop discount on a modem back then.

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

On 29 Mar 2023, Nightfox said the following...

Re: Re: Modems
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Nightfox on Tue Mar 28 2023 06:44 am

They offered sysop discounts as well.

That's cool. And it would have been nice to get a sysop discount on a modem back then.

Until it was mentioned here, I forgot about the sysop discount. I know I took advantage of it.

Work also used USR modems, so I was familiar with them when I bought mine.

--- Steve K9ZW via SPOT BBS

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/07/15 (Linux/64)
* Origin: SPOT BBS / k9zw (21:1/224)

After seeing this, I used to have one of these around the 600 series.

I always wanted a Treo, but, for some reason, held back. I think I
thought the costs were too high, but in retrospect, discretionary
income was much easier to come by. 90's mortgage + no kids, + 2
incomes...

I remember waiting in line to pay $800 for the Matrix / Neo slider phone. It was taking too long, and I bailed - imagine that now-a-days top iPhones are $1000+... :P

I did own a Treo 600/650 - thanks for sharing that doc.



|07p|15AULIE|1142|07o
|08.........

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

The MultiTech modems I used seemed to work fairly well. Their MultiMod series seemed to be aimed at being able to connect to different types o modems as well.

Oh yes, MultiTech modems. Those things were beasts. I even had the
pleasure of using that brand router for point-to-point T1 circuits. What
fun we had in the day!
--Matt

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

I was a Franklin Covey acolyte for most of the '90s. I carried a binder Franklin had a PIM (personal information manager) app called Ascend tha used for a while, later, they moved to a series of scripts that made Ou Franklin-friendly. Neither compared to paper.

Oh those were the days. I had my Franklin planner too and had a
PalmPilot, plus Ascend. And then "converted" to Outlook. Yeah, the
printing from Outlook was never quite right.
But you are right - you could get to anything you needed in 24 hours. I actually miss that format - having a planner to just write down important things - dates, to-dos, notes. Now we are expected to use our phones or computers for all of this.
When I was doing more onsite work, I was the tech with the spiral notepad tracking notes, times, etc. Then I would go back and put the stuff into
the computer. It was EASIER and FASTER to write it down than to carry my
laptop around or try to put stuff in my phone. I did try the 2-in-1 laptop/tablet, but it was heavy and wasn't as easy as they make it out to
be.
Give me pen, paper, and a binder - then I will transcribe the stuff into
the computer.
--Matt

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

One of the Franklin precepts that feels outdated now is the idea of prioritized daily planning. You start your work day with a list of
tasks, prioritized A, B, C, then the As are prioritized A1, A2, A3, and
so on. These tasks are aligned with intemediate goals that tie into long-term goals and governing values.
But, the idea of finding out what matters the most to you, and making
sure that your goals and tasks align with what matters is intriguing. You've probably had tasks that you needed to do but didn't resonate wit you, and tasks that were important on a basic level with you. The latte
get done well and quickly, the former sort of float around until you're able to get to them.

And that was one of my inherent "problems" with the Franklin system. I
would do my best to prioritize, but all the C-level tasks were done
first. And the interruptions of emails and what not distracting to be
able to focus. The concepts were sound, but unfortunately, in this day,
harder to do with the open office concepts, emails, texts, messaging
apps, etc. Your day can be too disrupted. I have been working on - a
constant work in progress - of categorizing my day into blocks of time. Example:
8-930am - work on project management
930-11am - work on mentoring or personal growth/training
11-1130am - gap for whatever
1130-1pm - block for lunch - flexible depending on what happened earlier 1-230pm - sales or strategic technology reviews for customers
etc...
It is, as I said, a work in progress. Still taking disruptions and trying
to get back to the "task" I laid out in that block.
--Matt

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
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On 30 Mar 2023, Mhansel739 said the following...

The MultiTech modems I used seemed to work fairly well. Their MultiMo series seemed to be aimed at being able to connect to different types modems as well.

Oh yes, MultiTech modems. Those things were beasts. I even had the pleasure of using that brand router for point-to-point T1 circuits. What fun we had in the day!
--Matt

I was just digging through my network/modem storage yesterday and found one of the MultiTechs. It has a serious case of yellowing plastic.

As soon as my office build out is done, I'm planning to put together a phone system simulator for retro stuff and it'll be in the mix.

GreenLFC º e> greenleaderfanclub@protonmail.com
Infosec / Ham / Retro º masto> GLFC@mstdn.starnix.network
Avoids Politics on BBS º gem> gemini.greenleader.xyz

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

The USR modems were absolutely fabulous. I was a USR beta tester in hte
late 80's or early 90's (I forget) but I got 3 different external HSTs
for free.
Still have one of them...

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

I remember US Robotics making internal modems that were still full hardware modems (when many internal modems were WinModems), but other than that, what made US Robotics modems stand out? I had used a couple of

USR made their name with HST models. If'n I'm remembering right off the top
of my head, this gave your super fast assymetric transfer speeds. It was something like 9600/19200/38400 in the down direction with only something
like 2400/9600 up direction. It utilised some of the extra bandwidth left by using the lower speed to shoe horn more into the other direction.

By the time HST was done they were just another modem, everybody was doing
38.4 or 56.7k.

For what its worth there were more interesting modems out there, that were
also good for their time but kind of dead ends. The 2400 Datacrafts with MNP4/5 were like that.

Spec


*** THE READER V4.50 [freeware]
--- SuperBBS v1.17-3 (Eval)
* Origin: A camel is a horse designed by a committee. (21:3/101)

paulie420 wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

I remember waiting in line to pay $800 for the Matrix / Neo slider
phone. It was taking too long, and I bailed - imagine that now-a-days
top iPhones are $1000+... :P

That seems like a lot for the sort of LCD screen, 2G+WAP, t9 phone, but
I always bought phones with a contract and a discount.

Best phone I had back then was a Nokia 8260 - a tiny little candybar
phone that worked on the legacy AT&T Wireless TDMA network with fallback
to analog. It'd roam to Verizon's analog network in areas that AT&T
didn't cover, so I *never* was without signal.

It was a shame that they killed that network and moved everything to
GSM.



... Move towards the unimportant
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

Mhansel739 wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

The concepts were sound, but unfortunately, in this day,

harder to do with the open office concepts, emails, texts, messaging
apps, etc. Your day can be too disrupted.

100%.

I have been working on - a
constant work in progress - of categorizing my day into blocks of time. Example:
8-930am - work on project management
930-11am - work on mentoring or personal growth/training
11-1130am - gap for whatever
1130-1pm - block for lunch - flexible depending on what happened
earlier 1-230pm - sales or strategic technology reviews for customers etc...
It is, as I said, a work in progress. Still taking disruptions and
trying to get back to the "task" I laid out in that block.

Time blocking is a great skill. When my kids were remote schooling
during covid, I explained to them that they wouldn't have the constant structure they'd have in classrooms, so they'd need to make their own. I
got my 12 year-old daughter time blocking, and when she had spare time,
using that to work ahead on tomorrow's schedule to free up time. Getting
her to "see" time helped her deal with distractions.

I like to time-block, As do some others in my office. I've noticed some people's Outlook calendars are booked all day, I'm sure they're blocking
their time out and not meeting 8 hours a day.




... Mechanicalise something idiosyncratic
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Mhansel739 wrote to Nightfox <=-

Oh yes, MultiTech modems. Those things were beasts. I even had the pleasure of using that brand router for point-to-point T1 circuits.
What fun we had in the day!

1.544 megabits per second. Who could *USE* that much bandwidth?!



... A NEW LIFE AWAITS YOU IN THE OFF-WORLD COLONIES!
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

Bf2K+ wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

The USR modems were absolutely fabulous. I was a USR beta tester in
hte late 80's or early 90's (I forget) but I got 3 different external
HSTs for free.
Still have one of them...

The USR Courier V.Everything I got via the sysop program was awesome. Best modem I ever had. I need to get it out sometime and see if I can figure
out what is wrong with it. Probably something not user servicable but I
would love to have it running again.


... Internal Error: The system has been taken over by sheep at line 19960
--- MultiMail/DOS
* Origin: possumso.fsxnet.nz * SSH:2122/telnet:24/ftelnet:80 (21:4/134)

Hi Specture,

USR made their name with HST models. If'n I'm remembering right off
the top of my head, this gave your super fast assymetric transfer
speeds.

The other great thing about the USR's was the flashrom.. When they fixed
a bug, or a new standard came out it was just a matter of flashing the
modem. They also had great phone line quality detection. I was about 4Km
from the exchange, and the fist time I saw a connection above the norm
was a sight!

If two USR's was making the connection, they had the ability to speed
shift up/down with line conditions.

I still have one of my Courier's, even though no phone line... $#(



\/orlon
aka
Stephen


--- Talisman v0.47-dev (Linux/m68k)
* Origin: Vorlon Empire: Amiga 3000 powered in Sector 550 (21:1/195.1)

On 27 Mar 23 18:37:04 Nightfox wrote...

Re: Palm PDAs By: poindexter FORTRAN to All on Mon Mar 27 2023
12:42 pm

US Robotics, makers of the modem we all wanted as sysops

I remember US Robotics making internal modems that were still full
hardware modems (when many internal modems were WinModems), but other
than that, what made US Robotics modems stand out? I had used a
couple of MultiTech modems in the 90s, which I have a bit of a
fondness for now.

Nightfox --- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Now the USR Modems... Bought a Courier off Ebay (well, I have two
actually to have a backup)...

But back in the day, my first "high-speed" modem was a USR Sportster 14.4
that I used for running this very BBS in the 90's! Great times!


--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 30 Mar 23 21:37:46 Bf2K+ wrote...

The USR modems were absolutely fabulous. I was a USR beta tester in
hte late 80's or early 90's (I forget) but I got 3 different external
HSTs for free. Still have one of them...

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01] * Origin: STar Fleet HQ -
Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Really? You were a beta tester for them?

You'll have to tell us all about that at the next chat. :)

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 30 Mar 23 06:55:00 poindexter FORTRAN wrote...

Mhansel739 wrote to Nightfox <=-

Oh yes, MultiTech modems. Those things were beasts. I even had
the pleasure of using that brand router for point-to-point T1 circuits. What fun we had in the day!

1.544 megabits per second. Who could *USE* that much bandwidth?!

... A NEW LIFE AWAITS YOU IN THE OFF-WORLD COLONIES! ---
MultiMail/Win v0.52 * Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is
power. (21:4/122)

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

That is funny now that we think back on it... how amazing it would have
been to have a T1 and how expensive it was.

And now I have my GiggleBit internet. (So fast, it makes me giggle).

And now that seems too slow some days.

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 31 Mar 23 13:02:48 Blue White wrote...

Bf2K+ wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

The USR modems were absolutely fabulous. I was a USR beta
tester in hte late 80's or early 90's (I forget) but I got 3
different external HSTs for free. Still have one of them...

The USR Courier V.Everything I got via the sysop program was awesome.
Best modem I ever had. I need to get it out sometime and see if I
can figure out what is wrong with it. Probably something not user servicable but I would love to have it running again.

... Internal Error: The system has been taken over by sheep at line
19960 --- MultiMail/DOS * Origin: possumso.fsxnet.nz * SSH:2122/telnet:24/ftelnet:80 (21:4/134)

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

There is actually a dial up modem pool for some telnet BBS's. It's
intent is to let people who only have modems (and still have a phone
line) to reach telnet BBSs....

.... but I won't lie... I've used OOMA to dial out with a modem via the internet to reach the DUMP only to then call my own telnet BBS.

Of course, it's fun once or twice but after that...... (shrugs)

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

The other great thing about the USR's was the flashrom.. When they fixed
a bug, or a new standard came out it was just a matter of flashing the modem. They also had great phone line quality detection. I was about 4Km from the exchange, and the fist time I saw a connection above the norm
was a sight!

Flashrom makes some sense. I might have the wrong glasses on, the rose ones, but I seem to recall almost everything have renegotiation. At least once we got to 14.4k and beyond.

In most cases I ended up with netcomm, and avteks, with a few odd things that turned out to be useless for BBS hosting at different times.

Spec


*** THE READER V4.50 [freeware]
--- SuperBBS v1.17-3 (Eval)
* Origin: A camel is a horse designed by a committee. (21:3/101)

Hi Spectre,

Flashrom makes some sense. I might have the wrong glasses on, the rose
ones, but I seem to recall almost everything have renegotiation. At
least once we got to 14.4k and beyond.

Yes they did, but the USR shit all over the others. Being able after the connection to print out the call stat's was a great way to debug issues.
(ATI + a number was that feature)

In most cases I ended up with netcomm, and avteks, with a few odd
things that turned out to be useless for BBS hosting at different
times.

I ran Netcomm's as well before getting a courier (Had two in the end).
Don't get me wrong, the Netcomm was a great modem (Got mine on sysop
discount. Can't rember the speed though), but the USR's performed so much better.

I became well known around the local computer shop's as the guy to call
when a customer was having modem issues. #-)



\/orlon
aka
Stephen


--- Talisman v0.47-dev (Linux/m68k)
* Origin: Vorlon Empire: Amiga 3000 powered in Sector 550 (21:1/195.1)

I'm not sure if "beta tester" is the correct term but I got 3 Couriers
for free.

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 03 Apr 23 09:56:46 Bf2K+ wrote...

I'm not sure if "beta tester" is the correct term but I got 3
Couriers for free.

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01] * Origin: STar Fleet HQ -
Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

I'd say that qualifies... :) I mean, if they send it for free!

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

That is funny now that we think back on it... how amazing it would have been to have a T1 and how expensive it was.

And now I have my GiggleBit internet. (So fast, it makes me giggle).

And that is only because we are trying to stuff more data across the
lines than we did before. The bigger the pipe, the more we try to push
through it. Imagine us trying to stream movies across a T1? That is just laughable. Hell, we need fancy machines to watch simple videos. Now, we
take all that for granted.

The faster the tech gets, the slower it is to us.
--Matt

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9_Vh9h3Ohw

it was a good watch, thats made its way to
my PLEX retro directory. :P Thanks.

same here!

... Xerox Alto was the thing. Anything after we use is just a copy.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

On 05 Apr 23 06:19:56 Mhansel739 wrote...

That is funny now that we think back on it... how amazing it
would have been to have a T1 and how expensive it was.

And now I have my GiggleBit internet. (So fast, it makes me
giggle).

And that is only because we are trying to stuff more data across the
lines than we did before. The bigger the pipe, the more we try to
push through it. Imagine us trying to stream movies across a T1? That
is just laughable. Hell, we need fancy machines to watch simple
videos. Now, we take all that for granted.

The faster the tech gets, the slower it is to us. --Matt

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01] * Origin: STar Fleet HQ -
Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Exactly... considering my watch actually has more processing capability
than my first computer, and all it does is just notify me of stuff....

How did we survive?

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Exactly... considering my watch actually has more processing capability than my first computer, and all it does is just notify me of stuff....

How did we survive?

I am not sure how we made it as far as we have. But, we started with dial
up and increased that speed to shove more data faster through the lines.
Then we moved to digital lines (ISDN, T1), and then to coax Cable and now fiber. And the stuff is still never fast enough.
But, in reality, I don't think the speed of the lines is the issue. It is
the equipment at each end. But now I am thinking logically. :)
--Matt

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 20 Apr 23 06:52:12 Mhansel739 wrote...

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Exactly... considering my watch actually has more processing
capability than my first computer, and all it does is just notify
me of stuff....

How did we survive?

I am not sure how we made it as far as we have. But, we started with
dial up and increased that speed to shove more data faster through
the lines. Then we moved to digital lines (ISDN, T1), and then to
coax Cable and now fiber. And the stuff is still never fast enough.
But, in reality, I don't think the speed of the lines is the issue.
It is the equipment at each end. But now I am thinking logically. :)
--Matt

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01] * Origin: STar Fleet HQ -
Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Well, it was more rhetorical... but that said... now I'm going through
the mail and I'm seeing AT&T sending me post cards about upgrading to
"Hyper Gig" speeds.

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On Thursday April 20 2023, Commodore Clifford said to Mhansel739:

the lines is the issue. It is the equipment at each end. But now I am
thinking logically. :)

Well, it was more rhetorical... but that said... now I'm going through
the mail and I'm seeing AT&T sending me post cards about upgrading to "Hyper Gig" speeds.

The only time you notice the speed of your internet connection is when you don't have your internet connection... %-(

\/orlon
aka
Stephen

Rocking FSXnet with an Amiga 4000 and Zeus BBS.

--- Zeus BBS 1.5
* Origin: -:-- Dragon's Lair --:- dragon.vk3heg.net Prt: 6800 (21:1/195.5)

On 20 Apr 23 21:28:58 Commodore Clifford wrote...

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Well, it was more rhetorical... but that said... now I'm going
through the mail and I'm seeing AT&T sending me post cards about
upgrading to "Hyper Gig" speeds.

To which Darklord replies...

Just wait until they offer "ludricrous" speed. Oh, and absolutely refuse
if they offer "plaid". You don't want to go plaid... Just ask those poor
people in Spaceball 1... :)


/\
Dark><Lord
\/

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

Re: Re: Modems
By: Darklord to Commodore Clifford on Mon Apr 24 2023 10:02 pm

Just wait until they offer "ludricrous" speed. Oh, and absolutely refuse if they offer "plaid". You don't want to go plaid... Just ask those poor people in Spaceball 1... :)

Is plaid faster than ludicrous speed?
I've sometimes wondered what would be faster than ludicrous speed.. Would the next step up be asinine speed?

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

On 24 Apr 23 22:02:54 Darklord wrote...

On 20 Apr 23 21:28:58 Commodore Clifford wrote...

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Well, it was more rhetorical... but that said... now I'm going
through the mail and I'm seeing AT&T sending me post cards about upgrading to "Hyper Gig" speeds.

To which Darklord replies...

Just wait until they offer "ludricrous" speed. Oh, and absolutely
refuse if they offer "plaid". You don't want to go plaid... Just ask
those poor people in Spaceball 1... :)

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Yeah... got my fill of plaid in private school.

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

Just wait until they offer "ludricrous" speed. Oh, and absolutely refuse

Be very wary of emergency stop too!

Spec


*** THE READER V4.50 [freeware]
--- SuperBBS v1.17-3 (Eval)
* Origin: A camel is a horse designed by a committee. (21:3/101)

On 25 Apr 23 09:20:00 Nightfox wrote...

Re: Re: Modems By: Darklord to Commodore Clifford on Mon Apr 24
2023 10:02 pm

Is plaid faster than ludicrous speed? I've sometimes wondered what
would be faster than ludicrous speed.. Would the next step up be
asinine speed?

To which Darklord replies...

You have watched Space Balls, the movie, right? Therein lies the answer
to your question, young padawan... :)


/\
Dark><Lord
\/

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 25 Apr 23 19:57:28 Commodore Clifford wrote...

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Yeah... got my fill of plaid in private school.

To which Darklord replies...

Bet it "suited" you just fine though... :)


/\
Dark><Lord
\/

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 27 Apr 23 16:08:00 Spectre wrote...

Just wait until they offer "ludricrous" speed. Oh, and
absolutely refuse

Be very wary of emergency stop too!

Spec

To which Darklord replies...

Ah-ha! I see we have another Mel Brooks/Space Balls fan amongst us! :)

/\
Dark><Lord
\/

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 02 May 2023, Darklord said the following...

On 25 Apr 23 19:57:28 Commodore Clifford wrote...

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

To which Darklord replies...

this is annoying just so you know, both of ya

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: cold fusion - cfbbs.net - grand rapids, mi (21:1/616)

Re: Re: Modems
By: Darklord to Nightfox on Tue May 02 2023 04:54 pm

Is plaid faster than ludicrous speed? I've sometimes wondered what
would be faster than ludicrous speed.. Would the next step up be
asinine speed?

You have watched Space Balls, the movie, right? Therein lies the answer
to your question, young padawan... :)

Yes, I have seen it. I don't recall them saying specifically what was faster than ludicrous speed - unless that was supposed to be plaid? I always thought the plaid coloring was a side-effect of going ludicrous speed.

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

Re: Re: Modems
By: fusion to Darklord on Tue May 02 2023 08:49 pm

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

To which Darklord replies...

this is annoying just so you know, both of ya

To which Nightfox replies...

I've trained myself to pretty much ignore it.

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

On 02 May 23 16:56:26 Darklord wrote...

On 25 Apr 23 19:57:28 Commodore Clifford wrote...

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Yeah... got my fill of plaid in private school.

To which Darklord replies...

Bet it "suited" you just fine though... :)

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Eh, I wasn't the one wearing it. :)

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 02 May 23 20:49:36 fusion wrote...

On 02 May 2023, Darklord said the following...

On 25 Apr 23 19:57:28 Commodore Clifford wrote...

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

To which Darklord replies...

this is annoying just so you know, both of ya

To which Darklord replies...

I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about <rolls eyes>. :)



/\
Dark><Lord
\/

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 03 May 23 02:54:34 Commodore Clifford wrote...

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Eh, I wasn't the one wearing it. :)

To which Darklord replies...

Ah, the school overlords are the guilty party, huh? Well, maybe there's
hope for you yet. :)


/\
Dark><Lord
\/

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 02 May 23 21:03:02 Nightfox wrote...

Yes, I have seen it. I don't recall them saying specifically what
was faster than ludicrous speed - unless that was supposed to be
plaid? I always thought the plaid coloring was a side-effect of
going ludicrous speed.

To which Darklord replies...

Ah, when Spaceball 1 can't stop, it blows right past Lone Starr's ship
(uh, Winebago?) and (I think) Barf says they've gone "plaid". :)

All IIRC, of course. :D


/\
Dark><Lord
\/

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

Re: Re: Modems
By: Darklord to Nightfox on Fri May 05 2023 08:37 pm

Yes, I have seen it. I don't recall them saying specifically what
was faster than ludicrous speed - unless that was supposed to be
plaid? I always thought the plaid coloring was a side-effect of
going ludicrous speed.

Ah, when Spaceball 1 can't stop, it blows right past Lone Starr's ship (uh, Winebago?) and (I think) Barf says they've gone "plaid". :)

Yes, that's what I was referring to. I always thought the plaid color might just have been a side-effect of going ludicrous speed. :)

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

Re: Re: Modems
By: Darklord to fusion on Fri May 05 2023 08:30 pm

On 02 May 23 20:49:36 fusion wrote...

On 02 May 2023, Darklord said the following...

On 25 Apr 23 19:57:28 Commodore Clifford wrote...

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

To which Darklord replies...

this is annoying just so you know, both of ya

To which Darklord replies...

I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about <rolls eyes>. :)

To which Margaerynne reples...


I think they forgot to quote the part of the message they find annoying?

Looks perfectly normal to me.
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (21:2/138)

I could not believe when I went to Amazon and looked up modems and they had a Hays 1200bps for $300. I like to fell out of my chair laughing at them. While they had a USR 56k external for $50.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Windows/64)
* Origin: Legends of Yesteryear (furmenservices.net:23322) (21:4/102)

On 27 Apr 23 14:05:19 Geri Atricks wrote...

I could not believe when I went to Amazon and looked up modems and
they had a Hays 1200bps for $300. I like to fell out of my chair
laughing at them. While they had a USR 56k external for $50.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Windows/64) * Origin: Legends of
Yesteryear (furmenservices.net:23322) (21:4/102)

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Well, some of those retro prices do tend to be through the roof.

But then again, if your first modem was a Hayes 1200 and you're trying to relive your youth and have a lot of disposable income....

Fortunately, it didn't cost me nearly that much to get an old Atari 1030
modem.

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

Re: Re: Modems
By: Geri Atricks to Spectre on Thu Apr 27 2023 02:05 pm

I could not believe when I went to Amazon and looked up modems and they had a Hays 1200bps for $300. I like to fell out of my chair laughing at them. While they had a USR 56k external for $50.

I wouldn't look on Amazon for something like that.. I've seen 3rd-party sellers trying to sell some things for ridiculous prices there. I recently bought a modem from eBay, and it was about $22 (with shipping). It looked like new old stock, in what looked like a bulk OEM box.

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

On 05 May 23 23:20:12 Nightfox wrote...

Yes, that's what I was referring to. I always thought the plaid
color might just have been a side-effect of going ludicrous speed. :)

To which Darklord replies...

Hmm, possible I guess but since Barf actually says they've "gone plaid" I
just assumed that it was another level of speed, something either truly
epic or maybe something that shouldn't be done? Argh, gonna have to go
back and rewatch Space Balls now. Oh, the horry, the agony...where's my
popcorn and soda?! :)


/\
Dark><Lord
\/

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 06 May 23 12:03:48 Margaerynne wrote...

To which Margaerynne reples...

I think they forgot to quote the part of the message they find
annoying?

Looks perfectly normal to me. --- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux * Origin:

To which Darklord replies...

I figured something was missing... :)


/\
Dark><Lord
\/

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 12 May 23 15:59:50 Darklord wrote...

On 05 May 23 23:20:12 Nightfox wrote...

Yes, that's what I was referring to. I always thought the plaid
color might just have been a side-effect of going ludicrous
speed. :)

To which Darklord replies...

Hmm, possible I guess but since Barf actually says they've "gone
plaid" I just assumed that it was another level of speed, something
either truly epic or maybe something that shouldn't be done? Argh,
gonna have to go back and rewatch Space Balls now. Oh, the horry, the agony...where's my popcorn and soda?! :)

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

That can be the movie night movie... Just don't let it make you late for
the BBS Community Zoom meet. :)

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 13 May 23 07:02:54 Commodore Clifford wrote...

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

That can be the movie night movie... Just don't let it make you late
for the BBS Community Zoom meet. :)

To which Darklord replies...

Well, we finished off season 2 of "Justified" and then, since my son
hadn't seen (but had heard a lot about) "John Wick", we watched the first
2 of those movies and will watch 3 + 4 next time, plus starting season 3
of "Justified". :)


PS And I was only an hour late!


/\
Dark><Lord
\/

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 21 May 23 23:42:58 Darklord wrote...

On 13 May 23 07:02:54 Commodore Clifford wrote...

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

That can be the movie night movie... Just don't let it make you
late for the BBS Community Zoom meet. :)

To which Darklord replies...

Well, we finished off season 2 of "Justified" and then, since my son
hadn't seen (but had heard a lot about) "John Wick", we watched the
first 2 of those movies and will watch 3 + 4 next time, plus starting season 3 of "Justified". :)

PS And I was only an hour late!

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Yeah, but now at least I know your "justification" for being late. :)

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 28 May 23 12:32:26 Commodore Clifford wrote...

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Yeah, but now at least I know your "justification" for being late. :)

To which Darklord replies...

Boo... :)



/\
Dark><Lord
\/

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 28 May 23 22:42:14 Darklord wrote...

Boo... :)

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

... and then the dragons came.

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 29 May 23 07:37:38 Commodore Clifford wrote...

On 28 May 23 22:42:14 Darklord wrote...

Boo... :)

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

... and then the dragons came.

To which Darklord replies...

And that would be totally justified... :)



/\
Dark><Lord
\/

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

Hmm, possible I guess but since Barf actually says they've "gone plaid" I

Yeah I always thought it was a side-effect of the speed, also.. But I think the line is "they've gone TO plaid". At least, I think I remember hearing a 'to' in there. Never really understood what it meant.

... Next time you wave at me, use more than one finger!

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Windows/32)
* Origin: 8-Bit Boyz BBS! -=[ bbs.8bitboyz.com port:6502 ]=- (21:4/137)

On 20 May 23 09:32:05 phigan wrote...

Yeah I always thought it was a side-effect of the speed, also.. But I
think the line is "they've gone TO plaid". At least, I think I
remember hearing a 'to' in there. Never really understood what it
meant.

To which Darklord replies...

Entirely possible. It's been a long time and I was drawing on my (often fragmented) memory... :)


/\
Dark><Lord
\/

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)

On 20 May 23 09:32:05 phigan wrote...

Hmm, possible I guess but since Barf actually says they've "gone plaid" I

Yeah I always thought it was a side-effect of the speed, also.. But I
think the line is "they've gone TO plaid". At least, I think I
remember hearing a 'to' in there. Never really understood what it
meant.

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

So I'm sleep deprived.... (It was monthly release weekend for us)... so I actually looked this up.

Apparently, in the novelization, the scene goes something like this
(yeah, I didn't know there was a book either).

With an ear-shattering roar, the Spaceball Cruiser leaped into light
speed. In the Cruiser's vast windscreen, the sky full of stars became
stripes of white light.
"Your seat belt, sir," Sandurz tried to warn his leader. But the roar of
the ship drowned out his plea.
The Cruiser jolted forward, moving from light speed to ridiculous speed.
The white stripes were joined by stripes of many colors. The ship began
to vibrate violently.
"Ssseat belllt...." Sandurz continued his attempts to warn Dark Helmet.
This time, his voice was drowned out by a warning siren. The ship began
to vibrate as if it were inside a blender and someone had pushed puree! LUDICROUS SPEED!
Dark Helmet's eyes bugged out of his head. Outside the windscreen, the
stripes weaved themselves together - and formed plaid!
- Spaceballs: The Book, by Jovial Bob Stine

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So I'm sleep deprived.... (It was monthly release weekend for us)... so I actually looked this up.

Any project we'd wanna take a peek at? Or just work-related blah blah?? :P



|07p|15AULIE|1142|07o
|08.........

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

On 11 Jun 23 18:21:05 paulie420 wrote...

So I'm sleep deprived.... (It was monthly release weekend for
us)... so I actually looked this up.

Any project we'd wanna take a peek at? Or just work-related blah
blah?? :P

To which Commodore Clifford replies...

Why I'm sleep deprived? It was for work.

--- RATSoft/FIDO v09.14.95 [JetMail 1.01]
* Origin: STar Fleet HQ - Real Atari! bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983 (21:3/171.0)