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1994-01-29
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Choosing a Monster BBS
Copyright (c) 1994, Gage Steele
All rights reserved
What exactly IS a "Monster BBS" anyway? The definition is unclear, but
when you find one it's obvious: a large number of nodes, disk storage
measured in Gigabytes rather than megabytes, and several CD ROMs.
A Monster BBS should also be well-rounded; a variety of interests
should be represented. Numerous (registered) doors, a comprehensive
online chat system, many different networks, shareware distribution
sites and technical support are all key examples of the well-rounded
system.
Each month we'll take a look at a different Monster BBS to help you
choose the best overall system for you.
Monster BBS: Springfield Public Access, "SPA"
Software: TBBS v2.2
Main Number: (413) 536-4365
Location: Springfield, MA
SysOp(s): Matthew de Jongh and Linda McCarthy
Established: February, 1990
Aprox. Size: 16 phone lines (13 high speed)
10 Gigabyte (24 CD ROMs)
Access Fee: Optional for full access
Notes: ASP BBS, 1993 Boardwatch Top 100 BBS No. 34
Rating: 87/100
Online Experience
─────────────────
The new user login and questionnaire were brief and quite easy to fill out.
SPA's administrators are more concerned that their new caller is able to see
the screen properly, and save the boring, legal aspects for another time.
Submenuing made for mostly painless navigation. Twice, I found myself in
an area I hadn't wanted to be, but pressing one key allowed me to back out
(either to the last menu, or to the Main Menu). I was not able to find a
System Bulletins Page, or equivalent. Some options were unavailable without
subscription. Though I was informed of this in a pleasant manner, I did
wonder why such options were displayed to me at all. The most notable of this
being the Online Chat feature, something referred to in their advertisements
(which further claimed 'no fees' for access).
The file areas are well kempt, and well ordered. Not a simple feat for
any SysOp, but especially not so when the system shows over 125,000 files
currently available for download. Alternate Operating System files, including
Amiga, Mac, and OS/2, are easy to locate in their very own areas. Files of
specific interests, such as Sound-related and GIFs, are likewise segregated,
adding to ease of system use.
Online games, and there were more than 25 from which to choose, are
categorised by type (i.e. Trivia, Word Games, etc.). Of the ones offered,
one was RIP graphics-based and one adult-oriented. In a submenu called DEMOs,
SPA allows their callers to help testdrive online games that have not yet
been registered.
Internet (Usenet), FIDO, and Adultlinks NetMail services are available on
SPA. For those counting the minutes on a long distance carrier, you can
choose to read and reply to your mail offline by using their QWK/REP mail
packet door.
Although I was given 45 minutes to peruse the system, my connection was cut
short. Quite abruptly, too, as there was no warning before the dreaded
'NO CARRIER' message displayed. I tried calling back three times, only to get
to the login prompt, have the system freeze, and dump me again. As I shut
everything down, I remembered reading something in their System News (a file
shown not long after my initial connect) that they'd crashed a few nights
before.
Pros
────
Painless new caller registration.
Voice Support.
Submenuing.
RIP graphics capable.
Non-IBM files available.
Numerous Doors and NetMail subs.
Association of Shareware Professionals BBS.
Cons
────
'No fees' untrue.
Possibly unstable system.
Garish ANSI menu colours.
Numerous typos throughout the system
I don't think SPA is quite established as a 'Monster BBS,' yet, but they do
deserve their strong placement in the BoardWatch Top 100. If given another
year to tighten up a few odd loose ends, I wouldn't be surprised to see them
rank higher. This four year-old system could, and should, do better.