Published on 10/03/05 at 00:34:16 GMT by Andy Alkaline
Last year, I found this to be a nice alternative to online gaming; primarily because it doesn't require the overhead of a web browser or even running a GUI (if one happens to be running Linux). If anyone used electronic Bulletin Board Systems in the early nineties, you may recall dialing directly into a BBS using a phone line and modem. Perhaps you've played Barren Realms Elite or Legend of the Red Dragon. Perhaps you've even played in an Inter-BBS League.
I believe it was around the year 2000 when many telnet bulletin board systems began to surface. For those not familiar with telnet, it operates on port 23 over the Internet; just as a web browser typically uses port 80, and ftp uses port 21, etc.
Usually computers come pre-installed with a telnet client. In Windows if you open up a command prompt, you simply run the telnet program, followed by the telnet address. If I recall correctly, HyperTerminal for Windows also has telnet capability. There are actually some very good resources at the BBS Corner with links to more full-featured telnet clients and BBS applications and information.
If you already know all of this about telnet and are just looking to have some interplanetary warfare, but you need some addresses, you might peek at the Synchronet BBS List. The page takes quite a while to load; you've been warned. When I was playing a lot last year, I had good luck with the telnet address of the Darkside BBS, which is darkside.dtdns.net and also Sanitarium BBS The sysop of Sanitarium has a pretty well laid out site, in my opinion, and shows Inter-BBS League scores and other BBS-related information.
Also, for BBS related files, one might also check out the IFDC FileGate Project, where there are also a variety of utilities, programs, and miscellaneous software for download. The administrator of that site is also the Zone 1 Coordinator for FidoNet, and was nice enough to help me set up the Fidonet messaging system once when I was helping out with a BBS last year. I'm not sure if it's still being worked on regularly, but that was Amateur BBS.
For those who played in League 444 (Hellnet), believe it or not, that league was still active as of last year. I believe it still is, but right now the site's not loading. I looked up the URL and I'm pretty sure it's hellasbbs.com
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