Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Pure Bollocks Issue 22_046
----------------------------------
B B S * B U L L S H I T
----------------------------------
REQUIEM FOR A SYSOP
-------------------
Excerpt from an article in "PC WEEK", Nov. 20, 1984:
"There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but there is an ample supply
of free software that's yours for the asking. All you have to do is dial up,
make a connection, browse through a couple of menus, check over long lists of
available software, make your choices and start downloading."
Exchange of E-Mail between sysop and BBS user:
- Well, John, the good news is that the faulty file has been fixed but
the bad news is that your downloading privileges have been revoked. I
just went through the last two months of logs and came up with some
interesting statistics. During that time you have logged on 23 times,
downloaded 66 files and uploaded NONE. You have called for chat twice,
and left a total of two messages on the board, one requesting a
specific program and the other informing me of a disk error in a
download file. I can only draw the conclusion that you are interested
in this board for ONE REASON ONLY -- to rape hell out of the download
menus. I've left plenty of messages regarding PARTICIPATION in the BBS
and the Message Base, but you either haven't read them or else you
ignored them. Sorry, but one-way streets just don't hack it around
here. Jim.
- Jim, I have been taking part in the BBS. Every time I log on I read
all the new messages. John.
- John, I just can't help but feel that in all that time you could have
at least said "Hi" or "Thanks for the downloads" or SOMETHING to
acknowledge that there's a real live human being on this end. Jim.
Except for power failures, my computer has been continually running since
Nov. 11, 1982, and has fielded over 12,000 telephone calls operating as a BBS.
Back then, it was a joy to be a part of the realm of computer
telecommunications -- now it's a drag. It seems to me that a "GIMMEE" attitude
has pervaded the whole arena of BBSing, with callers interested in nothing more
than material gains in the way of software. My board is far from the busiest,
being isolated in the "foreign country" of Montana, but an average day will see
about 20 or 25 calls to the system. An average day will also see about three or
four messages (of ALL types, including E-Mail) being posted. The typical log
entry shows so-and-so logging on, going to the file transfer area, downloading
several files and then logging off. Thanks, that's why I started up a BBS, to
supply people with free programs. Really makes my day to see that I've spent
all this time and money just to watch pigs at the trough.
Whatever happened to the COMMUNICATIONS in telecommunications? Is this the
result of the Computer Age, that people don't talk or communicate with each
other? Are we getting so totally in tune with our equipment that we're
excluding PEOPLE? If so, then Orwell's predictions are tame in comparison with
the reality. Who took the BULLETIN BOARD out of Bulletin Board System? The
file transfer section of my board is shiny from daily use, but the bulletin
section is obscured by cobwebs. The thought has crossed my mind more than once
just to load up a host program and let people grab whatever programs look
interesting.
"Do you have a logon code for this system (Y/N) ==> Y <=="
"What is your account number? 775"
"What is your logon code? PASSWORD"
"INVALID LOGON CODE"
"Do you have a logon code for this system (Y/N) ==> Y <=="
"What is your account number? 305"
"What is your logon code? PASSWORD"
et cetera, ad infinitum et ad nauseam.
Hackers. Or so they'd like to believe. Vandals, pests, yes. Hackers?
They should be so talented, devoted and lucky. Why do these computerized
delinquents find such delight in trying to break into bulletin boards? Don't
they realize that sysops are ordinary people just like themselves trying to
find a little enjoyment in their hobby? Why pick on me? I'm spending a lot of
time and money trying to provide people a service for free, and they want to go
and spoil it for everyone. Heck, if they want onto the system, all they have
to do is apply for a logon. Why make life difficult for everyone? Leave me
alone. Go pick on CompuServe.
Caller logs on. Leaves E-Mail to a friend. Lines only fill half the
screen, so he's probably using a Commodore 64. Goes to file transfer section,
and selects UltraTerm protocol. Chooses a file that indicates it's a TRS-80
program. BBS goes to send, txHfigures out that he's somewhere he doesn't want
to be and drops carrier.
Another caller logs on four times in a row, but keeps losing carrier before
he can do anything. Probably phreaking on a cheapie phone service.
Another caller successfully downloads a file. Sit. Wait. Wait some more.
System eventually times out and drops him.
I'm not the most polite person in the world and I'm certainly not one to
stand on ceremony, but I am old enough to remember what manners were. They
also went down the tubes with "communications" and "bulletin boards." Whoops!
Dropped carrier! So what? If it's a halfway decent system, it'll reboot. Well,
I'll just go to bed while downloading this long file, the system will
eventually throw me off and reboot. Never mind that there's other people
wanting to call into the board. Who cares that the sysop climbs the walls when
he sees someone drop carrier or time-out on the system? Lately I've gotten
into the habit of dropping carrier ON MY END for the worst offenders. One good
hang-up deserves another.
Along with all the other goodies that have bitten the dust, there's good
old APPRECIATION. As I mentioned before, my BBS has fielded over 12,000 calls.
Out of all of them, I have gotten maybe a dozen messages saying "Thanks for
running your BBS." That's about one "Thank You" per THOUSAND calls!
Unfortunately, it seems that people think they have all this automatically
coming to them. It's their right! Sorry to disillusion anyone, but that just
ain't so. The master switch for this system is two feet away, and I'm not so
decrepit that I can't hit it in a flash. Alternatively, I can ban anyone I
wish from my system. Callers use this BBS at my forbearance only, and it's not
a God-given right. It's a sysop-given privilege! I sincerely feel that we
should proclaim a "Sysop Appreciation Day." We certainly don't get any on a
day-to-day basis!
Don't get me wrong. There ARE joys and benefits in running a BBS, although
sometimes in my nether moods I'm hard pressed to enumerate them. But the fact
is, there have been many occasions when I've rested my finger on the switch
with the idea of going offline forever.
Now for the moral of the story. I'm only one sysop among many, and I'm not
trying to evoke sympathy for myself through this article. The point is that
almost every sysop around has these feelings to some extent or another. And
further, most of these sysops (especially the best and most devoted ones) are
going to reach a saturation point and wind up depriving the general public of
their services. I foresee a day coming, and very soon at that, when the high
quality BBS's will be all gone. So all this is really a plea for everyone to
shape up their acts before it's too late. If nothing else, when you're on a
bulletin board, leave a little message to the sysop. "Thanks for the use of
your system" or "Fine BBS you have here." Let them know they're appreciated.
When I see a message like that, I say to myself, "THAT's why I'm doing all
this!" Sysops are real, live human beings with feelings and emotions. Let's
start treating them as such!
Epilogue: Twelve hours after the above was written, I find out that one of
my best friends (with higher than normal access to the system) has allowed a
third party to use her logon. That's forbidden for anyone on my BBS to do, but
it hurts even more because a valued and trusted friend who should have known
better went and did it. That's the final straw. The Most Significant Byte BBS
is no longer in existence.
Jim Anderson, Ex-Sysop
The Most Significant Byte BBS
Billings, Montana
January 13, 1984
[Phew, what a depressing person! -EGBSS]
---------------------------------------------------------------
