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Creative Computers
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Creative Computers CD-ROM, Volume 1 (Legendary Design Technologies, Inc.)(1994).iso
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sysop_requiem.pp
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sysop_requiem
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1994-11-17
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158 lines
. 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the bad news is that your downloading privileges have been revoked.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 i all that time you could have
at least said "Hi" or "Thanks for the downloads" or SOMETHING to
acknowledge that thee'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, an selects UltraTerm protocol. Chooses a file that indicates
it's a TRS-80 program. BBS goes to send, he figures 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