yelorose@juniper.uucp (Bob Mosley III) (10/11/88)
In article <6919@nsc.nsc.com> nessus@nsc.nsc.com.UUCP (Kchula-Rrit) writes: >[Reality is for people with can/will not handle imagination.] [nuking of anti-handle hypocrit deleted. Rest assured, tho, that it was done very well. K-B's mom would be proud as hell!] >Back to the original subject: > > I am still curious; what comprises a BBS? What distinguishes one >from a "real" USENET site? ...ok, let's hit this point by point: 1) A BBS is generally confined to communications within a specific area code. USENET is essentially free of said constraints. 2) A BBS generally has no more than two lines of access. A net node can have far more than that (tho it doesn't mean they're being used efficiently - just look at P*rt*l!) 3) A BBS is usually administered by one person, who assumes all of the system maints upon him/her/itself. A Net node usually involves so damn much work that it takes several people to keep up with the sysmaint and other assorted paperwork BS. 4) BBS's usually support a mutitude of FTP's, while from what I've seen teh Net only offers the accursed Kermit & Binary FTP's. Then again, see 5) 5) The average BBS user is between 14 and 22 in age (down from 1986 figures, which had the average range at 17-24 in a smaller sample), and the use is for hobby purposes in general. The average Net user is 19-29 in age (based on my own observations), and appears to use the net to benefit his/her/it's livelyhood (although hobbyist use isnt' uncommon). As a result, the average Net user is more sophisticated than the BBS user, and can tolerate a general lack of user-friendliness, especially with regards to FTP's. 6) With regards to postings, BBS' tend to be less policed than the net as a whole is. In most cases, however, boards that practice censorship tend to go belly up inside of a year, while those that only act when the poster is TOTALLY off the deep end tend to last twice that long. The reason this doesn't work on the Net falls back to the fact that BBS' tend to be locally centered, almost as if a microcosm of sorts. It's far easier to both control and let loose a small group with limited outside access than to do the same for a macrocosm like the Net. ...anyway, I hope that helps clear up a few things. The two groups aren't that far apart when you look at it, it's just that you're dealing with two groups of differing size and a difference in the span of communications. A BBS tends to be a bit more open than the Net for the same reasons the inhabitants of Mayberry N.C. are more open than the troglodytes of NYC. (Of course, there was this comment heard last year on C.S.IBM.PC: "A BBS is to the Net what a farm club is to the Major Leagues" Makes sense, when you think about it, no?) OM
richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) (10/13/88)
In article <5354@juniper.uucp> yelorose@juniper.UUCP (The Dangling WANGer) writes: >In article <6919@nsc.nsc.com> nessus@nsc.nsc.com.UUCP (Kchula-Rrit) writes: >> >> I am still curious; what comprises a BBS? What distinguishes one >>from a "real" USENET site? > >...ok, let's hit this point by point: > > > >1) A BBS is generally confined to communications within a specific area code. > USENET is essentially free of said constraints. Ever hear of PC Persuit ? The geographic barriers have dissolved. >2) A BBS generally has no more than two lines of access. A net node can have > far more than that (tho it doesn't mean they're being used efficiently - > just look at P*rt*l!) LOTS of BBS's have multiple lines, or lines on a rotary. Some net sites have a very small number of phone lines. >3) A BBS is usually administered by one person, who assumes all of the system > maints upon him/her/itself. A Net node usually involves so damn much work > that it takes several people to keep up with the sysmaint and other assorted > paperwork BS. This is rediculous. >4) BBS's usually support a mutitude of FTP's, while from what I've seen teh > Net only offers the accursed Kermit & Binary FTP's. Then again, see 5) The NET doesnt support anything. The individial host provides it. (I'm not speaking for ARPA stuff) >5) The average BBS user is between 14 and 22 in age (down from 1986 figures, Bizarre. We must hang out in different circles. >6) With regards to postings, BBS' tend to be less policed than the net as a > whole is. In most cases, however, boards that practice censorship tend to > go belly up inside of a year, while those that only act when the poster > is TOTALLY off the deep end tend to last twice that long. The reason this > doesn't work on the Net falls back to the fact that BBS' tend to be locally > centered, almost as if a microcosm of sorts. It's far easier to both control > and let loose a small group with limited outside access than to do the same > for a macrocosm like the Net. Wait a minute, are you talking about Tejas ? >...anyway, I hope that helps clear up a few things. Hardly. The real test, is, after your modem connects and it says BBS, then it's a BBS. -- You, Richard Sexton, have sent the most vile piece of mail to me of anyone, by far. -- Stuart A. Werbner richard@gryphon.CTS.COM {backbone...err, well connected site}!gryphon!richard