On Dec 1, at 22:12 | Dec1, Derek Stewart wrote:
> On Tue 29 Nov 2011 19:44:24 GMT, Tony Firshman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> My BBS main disk died today.
>> I am mightily glad that the system boots primarily off romdisq - it made
>> life so much easier.
>>
>> The 23 daily backup partitions on a separate HD should have all been OK, but
>> some were not.
>> I found one that was and all is restored with a 296mb partition on a 20GB
>> HD, although probably with quite old message databases.
>>
>> I now use it online really only as an incoming fax machine, which
>> accumulates loads of junk faxes!
>>
>> It has been running pretty continuously on only two sets of computer
>> hardware since the late 80s. It originally used a black QL with GC and
>> Astracom modem. It is now in a boxed QL with Aurora, SGC, superHermes,
>> Mplane and a 56k USR faxmodem.
>> I used to link to Fidonet, and shared data with four or five QL BBSs (two or
>> three in the UK, one in Holland and one in the USA) and the rest of the
>> Fidonet community.
>> Fidonet is long dead - killed by email and the internet. There are also no
>> other QL based BBSs. Are there *any* dialup BBS systems still going?
>>
>> In the very early days, I remember connecting to it from Northumberland via
>> a 300bps acoustic coupler connected to a Tandy 200 portable.
>>
>> I know Roy Wood used it regularly to to test modems.
>> I also had a phone call from a lecturer in Glasgow who used it as a
>> demonstration and reported it down!
>> Does anyone use the BBS now?
>> If not, it probably makes sense to retire this machine and use a modern
>> multi function laser printer.
>> The QL machine will still be used as the source of all my commercial
>> software.
>>
>> It will be the end of a very very long era.
>>
>> Tony
>>
> I used to have a BBS in the North East... 2:256/65, called QuantaNE, then
> reanmed later to be called, Fluffy Owls.
>
> The BBS ran on a 20Mhz 286 PC using Remote Access BBS software, but I moved
> it to a QL using Pbox. I must to of admit to hasstling Phil Borman to
> deveoping Pbox to the same level as Remote Access BBS System. To some extent
> Pbox, really got sophiscated.
>
> I used to route most of the BBS mail from the main hub in the North East, but
> alas, not many QL users managed to logon tothe system.
>
> The majority, of BBS Sysops, converted their BBSs to Internet Web Site, not
> nothing really has chnaged, only thety now get concurrent users, rather than
> 1 user per logon,
>
>
Mine started in London with Jan Bredenbeek's software (Qbox?), a black box QL
and an Astracom modem. It moved some time later to the excellent Pbox, and I
also use its fax support.
Prior to the reliable Mplane, I used to get regular (six monthly) disk crashes.
Qplane was a real hassle. Once, before I had set up proper backups, I had an
all night session with Phil Borman who rescued my file system. It was
mightiily hard.
The fax is really the main reason for it still running.
I have bought a multifunction printer, and when that arrives on Monday, QBBS
will shut down, after about 24 continuous mainly reliable years.
Tony
--
QBBS (QL fido BBS 2:257/67) +44(0)1442-828255
[email protected] http://firshman.co.uk
Voice: +44(0)1442-828254 Fax: +44(0)1442-828255 Skype: tonyfirshman
TF Services, 29 Longfield Road, TRING, Herts, HP23 4DG
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