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+  What ever happened to real bulletin-board systems?
+
+     First off, I'd like to make it perfectly clear that I cannot
+be  objective in these notes.	These are observations,  but they
+are from  1) a Sysop
+	  2) a user of 8BBS, the greatest BBS ever evolved
+	  3) a boy ... who's become a boyish programmer
+	  4) an old timer....1977 was when I first started
+	     using BBS systems.
+	  5) the author of a BBS system
+
+  If you're expecting objectivity, then don't bother reading on.  I have a
+rather unique perspective on the entire BBS scene.  I've been around since close
+to the beginning, and I'm wondering what has happened.  Have BBS's gone the way
+of CB?	Is the entire system in a slump?  Is there anything wrong at all?
+
+  I'm going to try to present these questions and show how things have
+changed...for the better, and for the worst.
+
+HISTORY:
+
+  A long time ago, in a city far-far away, two men had an insight.  Ward
+Christensen and Randy Suess wanted a way to leave notes and messages to their
+programmer/engineer friends.  Back then, modems were used by field-engineers and
+some high-level executives to talk to their companies computers.  A 300 baud
+modem was extremely fast, as most people were using 110 baud TeleTypes.  Ward
+and Randy devloped the concept of the BBS.  They called it CBBS, for "Computer
+Bulletin Board System." CBBS was the first of its kind.  It was an enormous
+program written in 8080 assmebly language.  By our standards today, it was
+kludgy and bug-ridden, but back then it was heavenly.  Users could enter
+messages and read messages...  that was about it.
+
+  CBBS was a wonderful concept, but it was localized to the Chicago area.  Ward
+and Randy were the only ones who were running the program.  Then Bill Blue came
+along and wrote ABBS, which was designed to "emulate" the CBBS system.  I feel
+it was ABBS, rather than CBBS which made the real breakthrough.  While ABBS was
+much less powerful, and more difficult to use, it could be run on a "universal"
+machine:  --The Apple ][--
+
+  Anyone with an Apple ][ and a D.C.  Hayes MM][ modem could run ABBS.	This
+program could be installed in a matter of minutes, and anyone could have their
+own bulletin board system.  Soon after the release of ABBS, several other BBS
+programs (for various computers) soon followed.  ABBS was the king for many
+years, just because there were more ABBS systems than any other BBS program
+available.
+
+  It is this time that I would like to refer to as the "Golden age of the BBS."
+It wasn't as golden as you might think.  Most Sysops would come home every
+evening from work to find that their BBS had crashed because of yet another bug.
+Even back then, user's logged in under false names and left obscene messages.
+
+  The one point that made that age golden was the users.  Without users, a BBS
+is just a program.  With users, it gains a personality, and if I may be
+metaphysical, a soul.  The users MAKE the BBS.	A Sysop may have the greatest
+BBS program in the world, but without active users, he just has a computer
+wasting line-current.
+
+LIFE IN THE "GOLDEN AGE"
+
+  A user would think nothing of spending his Saturday helping "The Sysop" find
+an intermittant bug in the BBS program.
+
+  A user would not only answer his or HER mail, but also butt into other
+people's conversations and throw in his/her two cents worth.
+
+  A user would suggest improvements to make the system easier to use.
+
+  A Sysop would care for his BBS like a baby.  He'd spend 2 hours each night
+writing messages and playing with modifications to the program.
+
+  A Sysop would NOT restrict conversation to one particular topic...such as CP/M
+software.
+
+  A Sysop would tolerate kids who were just learning how to use modems.  He'd
+even give them a hand getting things working.
+
+  A Sysop would [on his own preference] dilligently weed out obscene or
+"pseudo-illegal" messages, -- or -- promote them as he saw fit.
+
+  Users would start clubs, such as the well known "Gabber Gang" and later the
+infamous "Phone Phriekers" who figured so prominently into BBS history.
+
+  The government didn't try to restrict BBS users.  It was just "us" against
+tyranny (at that time "Ma Bell").  Although most users did not approve of "Phone
+Phrieking", everyone talked about it, and was interested in it for curiosity
+sake if nothing else.  [Hard to believe, but true.]
+
+  Uploading and downloading of programs did not exist.
+
+  BBS's were few and far between.  When I wrote the OxGate, the two closest
+other CP/M based machines were Kelly Smith in Simi Valley (375 miles away), and
+"Jim C" in Larkspur (100 miles away).  People tended to congregate on the local
+system.
+
+  WHAT HAS KILLED BBS SYSTEMS:
+
+  1) Program uploading and downloading.  People just get their programs and
+leave.
+
+  2) The technical clique's retaliation against "gabbers" who just used the
+systems for personal communication.
+
+  3) Too many BBS systems in one area.	BBS's are still alive and healthy in
+low-density areas.
+
+  4) The loss of "anonimity" among BBS users.  The BBS used to be the place to
+escape.  Where no one had to be "themselves." Users such as "James Bond" and
+"Captain Scarlet" were given free reign to vent their fantasies.  Today, most
+systems do not allow false names so they can keep track of users.
+
+  5) The anti-hacker movement.	More and more people today think the word
+"hacker" means "phone phriek/computer crasher." All it ever meant was "great
+programmer." You would feel proud if someone labeled you a "hacker."
+
+  6) The press' ignorance of the BBS community.  By trying to make a scandal out
+of all of it, they ruined a great form of communication.  In particular, the
+magazine "InfoWorld" has done more harm to the BBS community than other press
+organization.  While they actively TRIED to HELP the community, they have caused
+more harm in their mis-reporting of info.
+
+  7) Sysop's ignorance.  Quite frankly, the average quality of "Sysop" has
+dropped.  Sysop's are (on the whole) less active and less responsive than 5
+years ago.  More and more of them are technically incompetent, they couldn't fix
+a bug if it bit them in the nose.
+
+  All of these problems are inter-related.  We can't solve any of them until all
+of them are solved.  From my descriptions it should be obvious that the "golden
+age" certainly wasn't all gold.  People like "James Bond" and "Sam Daniels" had
+to be stopped, but the pendulum has swung too far to the opposite side.
+
+  These observations are very general.	I've noticed this swing, and it has
+taken place on 95% of all of the system's I've called across America.  It's sad
+that these problems have stabbed us in the back, but it's not too late to try
+and bring about a change.  I don't have the answers, but maybe these
+observations will prompt thought into this death of a virtual "art form" of
+communication.
+
+  There is one possible solution to this problem...  the acceptance of children
+again.	For too long we've been kicking off kids (both phyiscal and "kids at
+heart").  They've been disruptive, and caused fights galore.  Many have even
+tried to crash the systems they used.
+
+  "If there's any hope, it lies with the proles." -- George Orwell, _1984_
+
+  Perhaps the thing to do is call a few local Commodore and Apple boards and let
+the users know that they're just as welcome on your super-fancy 100mb 2400 baud
+RCP/M system as any of your so- called "serious users" .  .  .  "serious users"
+who can't even bring themselves to answer their own mail.  Saddening.
+
+

textfiles.com/100/bc760mod.ham

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+Msg#: 1 *VHF/UHF RADIO*
+03-29-88 10:19:30
+From: JOHN STOVER
+  To: ALL
+Subj: BC950 CMT
+Newest from Uniden/Bearcat, the BC950 XLT (also know as the BC780XLT) can be 
+modified for CMT coverage. Cut pin 20 of the main CPU at the PCB and lift it. 
+Then solder a bridge between pins 19 and 20. This will restore CMT coverage. 
+PROBLEM: If you have the CTCSS option installed, you will not be able to turn 
+it off! (The CTCSS option, that is.) If this is OK with you, then go for it, 
+otherwise consider which you need more, CMT or CTCSS! Also, the only known 
+difference between the two aforementioned scanners is that the 950 is labeled 
+(on the box) "Scanner World". Have fun!
+
+
+Date:       WEDNESDAY 02/15/89 08:49:47 EDT
+From: <watmath!julian!business.uwo.ca!bitlib>
+Subject:    760XLT MODS
+To: whutt!TGC168 (TIMOTHY G CULVER +1 201 386 7187)
+ 
+Netlanders:
+ 
+Concerning the Uniden Bearcat 760xlt, the mod for the 950xlt does work
+to restore lost freq. Disconnect pin 20 of the microprocessor from the
+circuit board and connect it to pin 19. I bent the pin slightly and cut
+it with the scissors of a swiss army knife then soldered an 1/8 lead
+cut from a cap across the pins near the top of the chip. I've yet to
+find any problem with this mod. But as always do so at your own risk.
+73 Mike WA2E @ K2DLJ
+