Merry Christmas from...

/\
/ \ THE HAM SHACK BBS
~~~~~~| () |~~~~~~ SysOp: KJ5EKH ~~~~~~
\ /
\/

hamshack.synchro.net

...Blessed be he who is called a big wheel, for he goeth around in circles.
--- SBBSecho 3.32-Linux
* Origin: -=The Ham Shack BBS=- Siloam Springs, Ar. (21:3/221)

Merry Christmas everyone!!


--- NE BBS v1.13.2 (linux; x64)
* Origin: NE BBS - nebbs.servehttp.com:9223 (21:3/193)

Re: Merry Christmas!
By: Brian Scott to All on Thu Dec 25 2025 06:25 pm

Merry Christmas from...

/\
/ \ THE HAM SHACK BBS
~~~~~~| () |~~~~~~ SysOp: KJ5EKH ~~~~~~ \ /
\/

Belated Merry Christmas!

And Happy Boxing Day, to those who celebrate.

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.33-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

And Happy Boxing Day, to those who celebrate.

So what are people buying today? Anything interesting?

... I'm not a complete idiot... Several parts are missing!

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (21:1/199)

Hello Brian!

On 25 Dec 2025, Brian Scott said the following...

Merry Christmas from...

/\
/ \ THE HAM SHACK BBS
~~~~~~| () |~~~~~~ SysOp: KJ5EKH ~~~~~~
\ /
\/

Thanks a lot, and back at you -- Merry Christmas!

Best regards
Bj”rn

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Star Collision BBS, Uppsala, Sweden (21:1/202)

Re: Merry Christmas!
By: Nightfox to Brian Scott on Fri Dec 26 2025 05:57:04

And Happy Boxing Day, to those who celebrate.

For me, it was a happy UN-boxing day. My factory-fresh Commodore 64U was on my doorstep the 24th.

Hail the chicken lips!
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Re: Merry Christmas!
By: niter3 to Nightfox on Fri Dec 26 2025 10:52:36

So what are people buying today? Anything interesting?

I bought four bottles of MD. Maybe not interesting, but very satisfying.
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

For me, it was a happy UN-boxing day. My factory-fresh Commodore 64U
was on my doorstep the 24th.

Let us know what you think of it.

... A truly wise man never argues with a Unicorn

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (21:1/199)

Re: Merry Christmas!
By: Mortar M. to niter3 on Sat Dec 27 2025 09:59 pm

I bought four bottles of MD. Maybe not interesting, but very satisfying.

What is MD?

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

Hello Nightfox!

** On Sunday 28.12.25 - 08:16, Nightfox wrote to Mortar M.:

I bought four bottles of MD. Maybe not interesting, but very
satisfying.

What is MD?

Probably maltodextrin? Highly refined stuff. Basically,
another sugar in bottle.


--- OpenXP 5.0.64
* Origin: fsxnet/2 (21:3/110.10)

Re: Merry Christmas!
By: niter3 to Mortar M. on Sun Dec 28 2025 09:22:07

Let us know what you think of it.

I'm glad you asked!

So far, so good. The build quality is excellent. It doesn't feel flimsy or cheap. The case is solid and the keys have a nice feel to them, both in texture and travel, with a satisfying <CLACK!> when you type. The colors and layout are exactly like the original; dark-brown main keys and dark-buttscotch F-keys. Personally, I preferred the gray F-keys that were used on the early 64s, but no big.

Gotta give Commodore props for the accoutrements. They didn't skimp. The main box is heavy-grade cardboard, while slimmer than the original, still looks very much like the original. The User's Guide is spiral-bound with heavy-grade paper (at 243 pages, this thing's got some weight behind it) with clear illustrations and typography; I'm still going over it, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of the content. Finally, the included PSU is nothing like the original; it's small, translucent and gives you plenty of cable. Everything was neatly packed and wraped.

As to its actual use, I'm still exploring, but so far everything seems to work as expected. The next thing is to explore the included included software (games, demos, etc.). I was never a big 8-bit gameer, but it'll be interesting to see what's included. One program I'm looking forward to is GEOS, a GUI used by the 64, 128, Plus 4 and Apple ][.

I could go on, but I don't want to bore everyone too much. But I could be pursuaded. ;)
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Re: Merry Christmas!
By: Mortar M. to Nightfox on Sat Dec 27 2025 09:57 pm

For me, it was a happy UN-boxing day. My factory-fresh Commodore 64U was on my doorstep the 24th.

Those look interesting. I never did use a Commodore 64 back in the day, but I think it would be interesting to buy one. Maybe I could try finding a Commodore 64 emulator before buying one and playing some games & stuff with it..

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

Re: Merry Christmas!
By: Nightfox to Mortar M. on Sun Dec 28 2025 08:16:54

What is MD?

Mountain Dew, my pop of choice.

D O T H E D E W !
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Re: Merry Christmas!
By: Nightfox to Mortar M. on Sun Dec 28 2025 14:04:57

I could try finding a Commodore 64 emulator...

Vice is the best out there. It emulate every Commodore 8-bit computer made. Get it here --> vice-emu.sourceforge.io
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

I'm glad you asked!

So far, so good. The build quality is excellent. It doesn't feel
flimsy or cheap. The case is solid and the keys have a nice feel to
them, both in texture and travel, with a satisfying <CLACK!> when you type. The colors and layout are exactly like the original; dark-brown main keys and dark-buttscotch F-keys. Personally, I preferred the gray F-keys that were used on the early 64s, but no big.

Gotta give Commodore props for the accoutrements. They didn't skimp.
The main box is heavy-grade cardboard, while slimmer than the original, still looks very much like the original. The User's Guide is
spiral-bound with heavy-grade paper (at 243 pages, this thing's got some weight behind it) with clear illustrations and typography; I'm still
going over it, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of the content.
Finally, the included PSU is nothing like the original; it's small, translucent and gives you plenty of cable. Everything was neatly packed and wraped.

As to its actual use, I'm still exploring, but so far everything seems
to work as expected. The next thing is to explore the included included software (games, demos, etc.). I was never a big 8-bit gameer, but
it'll be interesting to see what's included. One program I'm looking forward to is GEOS, a GUI used by the 64, 128, Plus 4 and Apple ][.

I could go on, but I don't want to bore everyone too much. But I could
be pursuaded. ;)

Go on!

Which one did you get? Beige? Hows the keyboard flex I keep hearing about?

I had one ordered but cancelled it until I know if I really truly want one. I am not much of a gamer.

... If you can't make it good, make it LOOK good. -Bill Gates.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (21:1/199)

Those look interesting. I never did use a Commodore 64 back in the day, but I think it would be interesting to buy one. Maybe I could try
finding a Commodore 64 emulator before buying one and playing some games
& stuff with it..

Thats exactly what I am doing.

You want vice.

... APPLE: It may be slow, but at least it's expensive.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (21:1/199)

I bought four bottles of MD. Maybe not interesting, but very satisfying.

What is MD?

Mad Dog?!?


* SLMR 2.1a * Get back into life with Depends!
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: Capitol City Online (21:1/175)

Mortar M. wrote to Nightfox <=-

What is MD?

Mountain Dew, my pop of choice.

Back when I worked at a gaming company, my desktop support tech swore
by Mountain Dew and a butterfingers bar for the perfect caffeine and
sugar delivery system.

I stuck to the tried-and-true coffee, black, double-strong, with an
glazed old fashioned donut.



--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

And Happy Boxing Day, to those who celebrate.

For me, it was a happy UN-boxing day. My factory-fresh Commodore 64U
was on my doorstep the 24th.

Congrats!

I've been somewhat tempted to get one, but I didn't grow up with a Commodore 64, so it's more of a novelty.

And why I'd use that rather than, oh, getting some LoRa thing to experiment with, is not something I've figured out. So it's been on the, "I hope people make neat things and enjoy them" list.

For me, today was the, "get rid of all the paper and cardboard" day, with lots of freshly-flattened, now-empty Advent calendars. Somehow the bins weren't full from all my neighbors.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Storm BBS (21:2/108)

Re: Merry Christmas!
By: niter3 to Nightfox on Mon Dec 29 2025 02:40 am

but I think it would be interesting to buy one. Maybe I could try
finding a Commodore 64 emulator before buying one and playing some games
& stuff with it..

Thats exactly what I am doing.

You want vice.

I'll check it out.

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

Re: C64 Reborn
By: niter3 to Mortar M. on Mon Dec 29 2025 02:39:53

Which one did you get? Beige? Hows the keyboard flex I keep hearing about?

I did get the beige. I was tempted by the Founder's Ed., but that model won't be shipped until '26, plus since I had one before, I wanted that nostalgia aspect.

I had one ordered but cancelled it until I know if I really truly want one. I am not much of a gamer.

Don't have to be. This isn't a console. It's a full-blown computer, so you can create whatever you want; music, graphics, productivity, etc.

If you want to get in on the Launch Year sale, you got a little over 1 day and 43 min. to go. After that, add 50 bucks to the price. To get more info and specs, go to Commodore.net.

If you decide to wait, there are emulators--both online and off--you can mess with to see if Commodore BASIC is your jam. I recommend the VICE emulator (offline). It emulates, not only the C64, but all of Commodore's 8-bit computers.
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Re: Merry Christmas!
By: Dumas Walker to NIGHTFOX on Mon Dec 29 2025 09:29:42

What is MD?

Mad Dog?!?

Oh gawk! Even if I did drink I wouldn't drink that. From what I've heard, MD2020 ranks right up there with Ripple.
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Re: Re: Merry Christmas!
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Mortar M. on Mon Dec 29 2025 07:40:30

Back when I worked at a gaming company, my desktop support tech swore
by Mountain Dew and a butterfingers bar for the perfect caffeine and
sugar delivery system.

Whoa! Too much sugar for my blood. If I'm Dewing, I don't eat anything else sweet. Too many sweets and I tend to get vertigo, which is nooo fun, especially if it lasts for days.

I stuck to the tried-and-true coffee, black, double-strong, with an
glazed old fashioned donut.

Mmmmmmm...doughnuts! (8-) Never got into coffee; didn't like the smell after it was brewed, but while it was in the bag...ah, nice. The cloest I come to drinking the bean is when I get a mocha shake from BK or mocha ice cream.
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Re: Re: Merry Christmas!
By: Adept to Mortar M. on Mon Dec 29 2025 16:11:59

For me, today was the, "get rid of all the paper and cardboard" day, with lots of freshly-flattened, now-empty Advent calendars. Somehow the bins weren't full from all my neighbors.

I find flattening boxes as they come in saves a lot of time, then you don't have to dedicate a day to it, which would probably get put off...multiple times. Another time saver is get a small bin/container that you can carry, fill that up with your recyclables, then when full, take that out to your main bin; particularly helpful during the Winter.
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

What is MD?

Mad Dog?!?

Maryland.

... Whoever said that work was fun, didn't work!

--- Renegade v1.35/DOS
* Origin: The Titantic BBS Telnet - ttb.rgbbs.info (21:1/144)

What is MD?

Mad Dog?!?

Maryland.

Bottled Maryland... I wonder what that'd be like? :D


* SLMR 2.1a * I'm not a bigot, I hate everyone.
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: Capitol City Online (21:1/175)

Mortar M. wrote to Dumas Walker <=-

What is MD?

Mad Dog?!?

Oh gawk! Even if I did drink I wouldn't drink that. From what I've heard, MD2020 ranks right up there with Ripple.

In our stupid college drinking days, we never got as far as fortified
wines. 40 oz. malt liquors were the extent of our focused drinking.

Mickey's Big Mouth was my favorite.

Nowadays, most double IPAs are more alcohol heavy than old malt
liquors, making binge drinking that much more sociable.



--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

Mortar M. wrote to Adept <=-

I find flattening boxes as they come in saves a lot of time, then you don't have to dedicate a day to it, which would probably get put off...multiple times.

My suggestion is to get a good knife and sharpener. I have a Boker
folding knife that goes through boxes like butter. Box cutters are
nowhere as good as this thing. I set them up on the compost bin and cut
the boxes to size, then right into the recycling bin.

(Nerdy Aside: The knife I have is a Boker Magnum, the same knife Admiral
Cain carries in Battlestar Galactica: Razor.)

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3338/3214385033_f7525a519d_z.jpg



--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

Re: Re: Merry Christmas!
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Mortar M. on Tue Dec 30 2025 07:54:48

I have a Boker folding knife that goes through boxes like butter.

I go for the carnage approach. First, I RIIIIIP the top the bottom flaps off, then I RIIIIP open the sides at the seam. Finally, I RIIIIP the four sides into seperate pieces and...PHOOM!...slam dunk into the bin. Then I plop down into a chair, sweaty, feeling like real man...YEAH!
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Bottled Maryland... I wonder what that'd be like? :D

Would it contain any smells brought in from New Jersey by the coastal winds?
.

* Origin: 68k Mac Club | bbs.m68k.club (21:1/141)

BY: Mortar M. (21:2/101)

|11MM|09> |10 Re: Merry Christmas!|07
|11MM|09> |10 By: niter3 to Mortar M. on Sun Dec 28 2025 09:22:07|07
|11MM|09> |07
|11MM|09> |10> Let us know what you think of it.|07
|11MM|09> |07
|11MM|09> |10I'm glad you asked!|07
|11MM|09> |07
Im wondering can you run a bbs with it?


--- WWIV 5.9.03748[Windows]
* Origin: inland utopia * california * iutopia.duckdns.org:2023 (21:4/108)

BY: Mortar M. (21:2/101)

Re: Merry Christmas!
By: niter3 to Mortar M. on Sun Dec 28 2025 09:22:07

Let us know what you think of it.

I'm glad you asked!

Im wondering can you run a bbs with it?

After some research of my own (not owning one) it very much should be able to.

Image BBS is an easy one to setup under Vice at least. I'm sure bucko or one of the other guys could help or provide documentation?

Which I should look into? Is there documentation for Image BBS base install... Must be...

Are you planning to buy a c64u?

... System halted - Press all keys at once to continue

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (21:1/199)

Bottled Maryland... I wonder what that'd be like? :D

Would it contain any smells brought in from New Jersey by the coastal winds? .

One wonders. ;) The parts of Maryland I am most familar with are the mountainous panhandle and some areas around DC. I figure that later bit
would be tainted by swampwater. ;) I have never been to Baltimore or up
in the NE part of the state.


* SLMR 2.1a * Moderator: Knows all, sees all, trips over own two feet.
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: Capitol City Online (21:1/175)

On 29 Dec 2025, Mortar M. said the following...

I find flattening boxes as they come in saves a lot of time, then you don't have to dedicate a day to it, which would probably get put off...multiple times. Another time saver is get a small bin/container that you can carry, fill that up with your recyclables, then when full, take that out to your main bin; particularly helpful during the Winter.

Oddly, I did both of those things.

The thing with the advent calendars, is that they take a while to break down, depending on type, and if one is "AdventApril", with an unreasonable amount of advent calendars, there's a lot that's produced when emptying all of them at once.

And I do have a bin for paper, which made things compact enough that between that and some stuffed boxes, it wasn't _too_ many trips to get it all down.

Though I think I don't like the bin -- it's too flimsy, so occasionally runs the risk of spilling things because of twisting. I'm sad that storage boxes aren't more-reliably sold as things that can take a beating.

At least the ones for my bike trailer are nice, both because they're sturdy, and because they fold down.

But it'd feel weird to me to use one as a paper bin, I think.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Storm BBS (21:2/108)

I have a Boker folding knife that goes through boxes like butter.

I go for the carnage approach. First, I RIIIIIP the top the bottom
flaps off, then I RIIIIP open the sides at the seam. Finally, I RIIIIP the four sides into seperate pieces and...PHOOM!...slam dunk into the
bin. Then I plop down into a chair, sweaty, feeling like real
man...YEAH! --- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux

This made me laugh. I'd probably go out and buy a beer just to be able to offer you one, after that.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Storm BBS (21:2/108)

BY: niter3 (21:1/199)

|11n|09> |10Are you planning to buy a c64u?|07
|11n|09> |07
I was thinking of Amiga since you can do more things with those.


--- WWIV 5.9.03748[Windows]
* Origin: inland utopia * california * iutopia.duckdns.org:2023 (21:4/108)

Are you planning to buy a c64u?

I was thinking of Amiga since you can do more things with those.

Right! That's basically what I did. I had the c64u on purchase and cancelled it and bought an a1200 case, and will be getting a keyboard in the new years.

As of today, I've been building out my dedicate PC I think that will be going in the case. I'll have to pull it from this mini pc case and see if it's possible. If not, I'll have to pickup a pi.

Are you looking for a real Amiga or something else?

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (21:1/199)

On 31 Dec 2025, niter3 said the following...

I'm glad you asked!

Im wondering can you run a bbs with it?

After some research of my own (not owning one) it very much should be
able to.

Image BBS is an easy one to setup under Vice at least. I'm sure bucko or one of the other guys could help or provide documentation?

Which I should look into? Is there documentation for Image BBS base install... Must be...

Are you planning to buy a c64u?

You can run Image on the new 64u, the only thing that hasn't been tested well is the built in Swiftlink, I used to run one of my boards on a Ultimate 64 (the precursor of the new 64u) but I used a real swiftlink with a PC to run BBS Server as the telnet connector. My personal opinion is why use a 50 year old computer or for that matter a computer you just spent $400 on to run a BBS???? Run it is Vice and use an old PC or buy a off lease PC on eBay for $30! I run my boards in VM's on Proxmoxx.. My BBS on a Stick project makes it very simple to install and run in either Windows or Linux.

I guess it's time to start playing with my U64 and update it to see about getting it working fine with Image..


|11 Bucko |14- |06Wrong Number Family Of BBS' |07- |03www.wrgnbr.com

... (A)bort, (R)etry, (I)nfluence with large hammer.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: The Wrong Number Family Of BBS' - Wrong Number ][ (21:4/131)

Re: Re: Merry Christmas!
By: Adept to Mortar M. on Wed Dec 31 2025 18:03:53

The thing with the advent calendars...

What's an advent calendar?
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Re: Re: The Flat Box Society
By: Adept to Mortar M. on Wed Dec 31 2025 18:24:13

This made me laugh. I'd probably go out and buy a beer just to be able to offer you one, after that.

Make it a Dew and yor're on. :)
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

The thing with the advent calendars...

What's an advent calendar?

In this case, I'm referring to mass-produced things you can get at a store, where there are 24 doors to open, one for each day up to Christmas Eve.

There are many to choose from, at least in Germany. Chocolate is the most common, but there are beauty calendars (I got one that was lotions and soaps), wine/gin/beer calendars, dice calendars, and so on.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Storm BBS (21:2/108)

You can run Image on the new 64u, the only thing that hasn't been tested well is the built in Swiftlink, I used to run one of my boards on a Ultimate 64 (the precursor of the new 64u) but I used a real swiftlink with a PC to run BBS Server as the telnet connector. My personal opinion is why use a 50 year old computer or for that matter a computer you just spent $400 on to run a BBS???? Run it is Vice and use an old PC or buy a off lease PC on eBay for $30! I run my boards in VM's on Proxmoxx.. My
BBS on a Stick project makes it very simple to install and run in either Windows or Linux.

You're not wrong, all that money spent to run only a BBS on...

But then again, some people like myself were not big gamers of that time and feel the c64u would just gain dust otherwise?

There is something to be said about a physical computer sitting there with the WFC up on the screen and somebody dialing in....

... Press SPACEBAR once to abort, or twice to save changes

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (21:1/199)

On 01 Jan 2026, niter3 said the following...

You're not wrong, all that money spent to run only a BBS on...

But then again, some people like myself were not big gamers of that time and feel the c64u would just gain dust otherwise?

There is something to be said about a physical computer sitting there
with the WFC up on the screen and somebody dialing in....

... Press SPACEBAR once to abort, or twice to save changes

Totally agree, when I was running one on my U64, at least it was getting used. Now it just sits there, I am probably 4 or 5 updates behind also as I haven't used it in ages!! In the next few weeks I will update my U64 and see about getting the settings straight to have Image run on it fine..


|11 Bucko |14- |06Wrong Number Family Of BBS' |07- |03www.wrgnbr.com

... A Scarf is just an unfinished Afghan

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: The Wrong Number Family Of BBS' - Wrong Number ][ (21:4/131)

Totally agree, when I was running one on my U64, at least it was getting used. Now it just sits there, I am probably 4 or 5 updates behind also
as I haven't used it in ages!! In the next few weeks I will update my
U64 and see about getting the settings straight to have Image run on it fine..

Nice! I'll keep an eye out for updates...

Obviously I don't have a c64u at the moment...

Is there also a normal install guide from scratch?

... Consultant: A person who makes good on a salesman's promises!

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (21:1/199)

niter3 wrote to Bucko <=-

There is something to be said about a physical computer sitting there
with the WFC up on the screen and somebody dialing in....

My first solo apartment was a studio in downtown San Francisco. Old, art
deco building with a huge walk-in closet. I took one of my parent's
cast-off end-tables, a cast-off IBM AT clone from work, and set up my
BBS in that closet. My green monochrome monitor ended up getting burned
in with the FrontDoor WFC screen.

If I left the closet door open, I'd get a bit of a green cast - enough
to get up and walk around at night.

I remember hearing the modem speaker on the lowest setting and the hard
drive chattering during the middle of the night, it amazed me that a
computer in my closet was transferring mail and accepting callers from
around the world in different time zones.



--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

Totally agree, when I was running one on my U64, at least it was getting used. Now it just sits there, I am probably 4 or 5 updates behind also as

I notice there isn't a C*Base Wrong Number board....


--- NE BBS v1.13.2 (linux; x64)
* Origin: NE BBS - nebbs.servehttp.com:9223 (21:3/193)

On 01 Jan 2026, niter3 said the following...

Nice! I'll keep an eye out for updates...

Obviously I don't have a c64u at the moment...

Is there also a normal install guide from scratch?

A normal install guide for Image? If so, yes, the doc file has the installation instructions, I also have written a doc file which starts at the beginning and goes from there, Just don't know where I uploaded it to! More than likely it is on my webpage under Image support and probably in the section for Wrong Number family files..


|11 Bucko |14- |06Wrong Number Family Of BBS' |07- |03www.wrgnbr.com

... Computers are not intelligent. They only think they are.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: The Wrong Number Family Of BBS' - Wrong Number ][ (21:4/131)

On 01 Jan 2026, phigan said the following...

I notice there isn't a C*Base Wrong Number board....

No, never got into C*Base, I run what I ran back in the day. Image, and C-Net Amiga, although I wish I could run Excelsior! for the Amiga because that was what I ran in the 90's but because it is not Y2K it won't run properly with FTN networks. The Centipede board I run is a ode to my Co-SysOp from back in the day he never wanted to run what everyone else ran, I put that up because he died a year and a half ago, and I just wanted to do something in his memory!


|11 Bucko |14- |06Wrong Number Family Of BBS' |07- |03www.wrgnbr.com

... APPLE: It may be slow, but at least it's expensive.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: The Wrong Number Family Of BBS' - Wrong Number ][ (21:4/131)

Re: Re: C64 Reborn
By: poindexter FORTRAN to niter3 on Thu Jan 01 2026 09:39:26

My first solo apartment was a studio in downtown San Francisco. Old, art deco building with a huge walk-in closet. I took one of my parent's
cast-off end-tables, a cast-off IBM AT clone from work, and set up my
BBS in that closet.

Parallel occurance: My first apartment was on the West side of Detroit. A non-descript, three-story building. It was here I got my first PC clone which came with an internal, 1200 baud modem, hence, my first foray in BBSes. Even ran one for a short time called "Get Serious". Since the phone jack was (stupidly) in the dining area, for a time, my setup made its home on the dining table, which was fine as I didn't use it much; I liked to eat watching TV. Eventually, it ended up on in my bedroom on an old sewing desk that my Ma game me.

My green monochrome monitor ended up getting burned in with the FrontDoor WFC screen.

Why didn't you shut off the monitor when not needed?
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

My green monochrome monitor ended up getting burned in with the FrontDo WFC screen.

Why didn't you shut off the monitor when not needed?

I don't understand; he was running a BBS, so clearly it was needed at all times.

(I kid, but only slightly. I think active sysops wanted to know what was going on with their BBS, and that includes knowing that the system is down because something odd was on the screen. And during the night, clearly the screen was functioning as a nightlight.)

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Storm BBS (21:2/108)

BBS in that closet. My green monochrome monitor ended up getting burned
in with the FrontDoor WFC screen.

HA, I can recall this being an issue for many monitors. Good old CRT's. :)

I remember hearing the modem speaker on the lowest setting and the hard drive chattering during the middle of the night, it amazed me that a computer in my closet was transferring mail and accepting callers from around the world in different time zones.

Did you loose sleep over it?

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (21:1/199)

A normal install guide for Image? If so, yes, the doc file has the installation instructions, I also have written a doc file which starts
at the beginning and goes from there, Just don't know where I uploaded
it to! More than likely it is on my webpage under Image support and probably in the section for Wrong Number family files..

Sounds like I have some digging to do. :)

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (21:1/199)

Mortar M. wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

My green monochrome monitor ended up getting burned in with the FrontDoor WFC screen.

Why didn't you shut off the monitor when not needed?

I liked the green glow at night. :)



--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

Adept wrote to Mortar M. <=-

(I kid, but only slightly. I think active sysops wanted to know what
was going on with their BBS, and that includes knowing that the system
is down because something odd was on the screen. And during the night, clearly the screen was functioning as a nightlight.)

In 1991, I went to SCO for a 5-day UNIX class. I rebooted the BBS,
figured all would be OK. A day or so into it, the BBS rang no answer.
Not much I could do about it.

I got back into my apartment, and saw the problem. FrontDoor couldn't
initialize the modem, and so it gave up and the batch file looped back
to restart it. repeated over and over, about once every 45 seconds.

The problem was that each time it exited, it let out a little SOS in
morse code through the PC speaker. Every 45 seconds. 24 hours a day.
For 4 days straight. I'm glad I didn't run into my next door neighbor
after that!



--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

What is MD?

Mad Dog?!?

Oh gawk! Even if I did drink I wouldn't drink that. From what I've heard, MD2020 ranks right up there with Ripple.

That it just might. I have never tried either. I know of Ripple from
Sanford and Son, but that is my only contact with it. ;)

---
þ BgNet 1.0á12 ÷ RAW: Port 27 / Telnet:26 / ftelnet:80
* Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (21:4/134)

On 02 Jan 2026, niter3 said the following...

Sounds like I have some digging to do. :)

Here is the link to the install guide for installing in Vice...

https://www.wrgnbr.com/files/WNF_Files/imageinstall.pdf

If you need the docs to the whole thing let me know and I will put that on my website also...


|11 Bucko |14- |06Wrong Number Family Of BBS' |07- |03www.wrgnbr.com

... Kids: They're not sleeping, they're recharging!

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: The Wrong Number Family Of BBS' - Wrong Number ][ (21:4/131)

Here is the link to the install guide for installing in Vice...

https://www.wrgnbr.com/files/WNF_Files/imageinstall.pdf

Awesome! Thanks, bookmarked it for a later read.

... Origin of Life? Just check my refrigerator...

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (21:1/199)

Hello Adept,

01 Jan 26 11:05, you wrote to Mortar M.:

The thing with the advent calendars...

What's an advent calendar?

In this case, I'm referring to mass-produced things you can get at a
store, where there are 24 doors to open, one for each day up to
Christmas Eve.

There are many to choose from, at least in Germany. Chocolate is the
most common, but there are beauty calendars (I got one that was
lotions and soaps), wine/gin/beer calendars, dice calendars, and so
on.

hmm.. i never tought about it as a european-only thing :)

ByEbYe
--
Daniel

telnet://bbs.roonsbbs.hu:1212 <<=-

... Uptime: 7d 6h 57m 35s
--- GoldED/2 1.1.4.7+EMX
* Origin: Roon's BBS - Budapest, HUNGARY (21:4/148)

Re: Merry Christmas!
By: Roon to Adept on Sat Jan 03 2026 08:06 pm

What's an advent calendar?

In this case, I'm referring to mass-produced things you can get at a
store, where there are 24 doors to open, one for each day up to Christmas
Eve.

There are many to choose from, at least in Germany. Chocolate is the most

hmm.. i never tought about it as a european-only thing :)

I don't think it is. I've seen advent calendars here in the US too. That said, the first time I'd heard of an advent calendar was when learning German in high school.

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

Re: C64 Reborn
By: niter3 to Bucko on Sat Jan 03 2026 07:15:42

... Origin of Life? Just check my refrigerator...

That deserves a song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH3UncRagXY
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

There are many to choose from, at least in Germany. Chocolate is the most common, but there are beauty calendars (I got one that was lotions and soaps), wine/gin/beer calendars, dice calendars, and so on.

hmm.. i never tought about it as a european-only thing :)

I don't think it is, but my experience prior to moving to Germany was that an Advent calendar was the calendar my mom made out of felt, where it'd have a felt piece to snap on to the tree, along with a fitting Bible verse for the day.

But I would expect that they've become more popular in the US over the last decade, because it seems like a way to sell things to people.

But it's possible that they just weren't on my radar, for whatever reason. I'd be interested in hearing if other people had experiences with the commercial calendars.

Oh, and on that thought, last year I got a Ramadan calendar. Which I hadn't seen before, and might be also new. But I've never been to, oh, Turkey or Indonesia.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Storm BBS (21:2/108)

I don't think it is. I've seen advent calendars here in the US too. That said, the first time I'd heard of an advent calendar was when learning German in high school.

Same, but substitute Spanish for German. ;) Back then I didn't know
anyone who used advent calendars. It seems to be more of a thing now.
Some of my family members receive them from another family member. The
family member who sends them learned about them the same way I did, and
also has a mother in law from Germany and a father in law from England
(both now deceased).
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Re: Re: Merry Christmas!
By: slacker to Brian Scott on Fri Dec 26 2025 06:42 am

Merry Belated!

...If you've seen one city slum, you've seen them all.
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Win32
* Origin: -=[conchaos.synchro.net | ConstructiveChaos BBS]=- (21:4/141)

Re: Re: Merry Christmas!
By: Zip to Brian Scott on Fri Dec 26 2025 08:51 pm

Howdy howdy!

...Every revolutionary ends up either by becoming an oppressor or a heretic. --- SBBSecho 3.28-Win32
* Origin: -=[conchaos.synchro.net | ConstructiveChaos BBS]=- (21:4/141)

Re: Re: Merry Christmas!
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Mortar M. on Tue Dec 30 2025 07:54 am

(Nerdy Aside: The knife I have is a Boker Magnum, the same knife Admiral

I am a fan of Boker Magnum folders. They are cost effective, solid, and their lock is quite ok for being liners.

The screws tend to be a bit meh, though, and the steel is not top tier. What I mean is it is not at the level of great knives but they do very well. When people asks me which knife to get, if they are looking for a folder, I typically tell them to get a Boker Magnum if they can find it for cheap.

I am a fixed blade guy, though. Kukris for open carry, The Ka-Bar or Laredo bowies for concealed carry.


--
gopher://gopher.richardfalken.com/1/richardfalken
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* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (21:2/138)