The BBS

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT....

It is late at night. I am sitting at my desk at home, my daughter is finally asleep, my wife is grumbling something about "Computer Widows", Eric Clapton sings the blues on the Walkman, and my computer hums along quietly.

All of a sudden, I have this terrific urge to reach out and communicate.

Now unless you know of more "night owls" like me, calling someone up at 2 a.m. is likely to make you enormously unpopular in no time.

But if you have access to a phone line and a modem, then there are places that will not only welcome you - they are eagerly awaiting your calls !

I am talking about your local (or not so local) BBS (Bulletin Board Service).

Instead of trying to describe a BBS technically, let me take you through a brief tour of my local BBS, and I am sure you'll get the idea.

A BBS TOUR

Using my modem, I dial the BBS phone number. A few squeals later, the modem connects, and I am greeted by a sign-on screen that welcomes me and prompts me to "log in"./

I type in my User ID and password, and seconds later, the world opens up to me.

A flashing sign tells me that my Electronic Mailbox has new messages for me. Bulletins tell me what's new on the system, and a scan of the system tells me that there are dozens of new messages and files in the various forums.

First of all, I go and read my mail. I make the appropriate selection from the menu that appears, and find myself in the E-Mail area of the BBS.

I read the messages waiting for me. There is one from Raju, saying that he'll be coming in late tomorrow since he he has some work lined up for the morning. And there is a message from Kishore in Delhi - he's hopping mad because I haven't sent him the promised upgrade!

OK, enough of mail - let's see what's happening in the forums.

I exit from the E-Mail area, and enter the PCQ forum.

A bunch of new messages, including one from Mahi - he suggests that I should upload the utilities mentioned in my articles into the forum library for others to download. "Good idea" I respond in a message of my own, and proceed to upload the said utilities. I also leave a message for all members, asking them if they know of any way by which one could make PKR from PC Quest get a modem and join the BBS.

Over at the Virus forum I find that user Bhargava has uploaded the latest versions of McAfee's shareware anti-virus programs. A few minutes later I have transferred them to my computer.

Suddenly I remember that I need to find out who sells UPSs in Bangalore - a trip to the Electronic Yellow Pages database soon gives me all the info I need, complete with addresses and phone numbers.

Right - enough of this tour. After a quick trip to the NEWS room, where I pick up the latest computer industry news file, I disconnect from the BBS, and "surface" to find myself back in my room at home again.

Just a couple of years ago, all of the above would have been possible only if I was in the USA, but today even India is getting its fair share of BBSing. A new BBS seems to spring up every day in Bangalore, Bombay, Delhi, Madras and even smaller towns. Some of them are strictly private, meant for use of company staff, some, like the one I just described, are open to the public, either completely free or on semi-commercial (i.e. cover the running costs) terms.

And a good thing it is, too. BBSs have been, to a great extent, responsible for the information explosion in the USA. Now the same thing is beginning to happen in India.

Let's rewind a bit, and see what a BBS is and how it works.

WHAT'S A BBS ?

For those of you who have been using modems to communicate with another person at the far end, a BBS will be a sort of a surprise - there is NO human at the other end !

Instead, all your interaction with the system is handled by the BBS software and the modem - that includes all the prompts, menus, file transfers, message handling and other operations. As a matter of fact, the only time you'll actually have human contact on a BBS is if you go into "chat" mode with the System Operator or another user who may be online.

Many of you will have heard, or even used, E-Mail and Information Services such as Compuserve, MCI Mail and British Telecom Gold. These are gigantic commercial communication services that you can log into from anywhere in the world and access a vast range of services, including Electronic Mail, databases, forums, specialised information services, etc.

Well, a BBS is something very similar to, say, Compuserve, but instead of running on huge mainframe computers servicing thousands of people at a time, a BBS runs on a plain-vanilla PC, servicing a couple of users at a time, one after the other. Instead of running somewhere in the world, the BBS runs in your local neighbourhood - a sort of electronic club house. In fact, even the venerable Compuserve started off as a multiline BBS at one time !

WHAT DOES A BBS OFFER ?

Facilities available on a BBS range from simple E-Mail to complex database services, from simple file areas to massive libraries of information.

Unlike a commercial information service, a BBS is VERY easy to set up - all you need is a phoneline, a computer and the necessary software. And, of course, someone to call in.

Instead of a dedicated team of people, a BBS is usually run and maintained by a single person, usually known as the SYSOP (System Operator). He or she is the lord of the domain, and decides what goes on.

What sets BBS apart from commercial information services is (apart from the obvious difference in size) the fact that most of the people using the service know each other (or soon will), and tend to interact as friends, usually on first name terms.

Forums on a BBS (sometimes known as conferences or SIGs - Special Interest Groups) form areas where specific topics are discussed. For example, the PCQ forum I talked about earlier is used by BBS members to publicly discuss my articles, as well as make suggestions or throw a few brickbats. A message posted in the forum can be read by all members having access to the forum, and any member can reply to or comment on a message, thereby continuing what is known as a "thread" of messages - a sort of sub-topic to the forum.

Most BBSs have file areas - places where members can place or retrieve files. Generally known as libraries - these areas are normally grouped along with the message areas of the same topic - i.e. the Anti-Virus Library is right there with the Virus message base. This makes it easy for members to locate particular files.

A not-so-common feature is databases. Some BBSs provide tons of information in such databases, which can be queried similar to the way you would query, say, a dBASE file. For example, you could tell the BBS that you are looking for UPS manufacturers located in Bangalore, and the BBS software would, based on the given conditions (PRODUCT=UPS, CITY=BANGALORE), filter out the required records for you from among thousands of other records. Private, company-run BBSs make available pricelists, stock status and customer information to their staff.

A BBS is also a great place to make friends. Since you can hide or reveal things about yourself just as much as you want to, you do not have be bothered about things such as age, sex or occupation. For example, I have made friends with a retired Test Pilot, a computer consultant, an 11 year old schoolboy, a financial consultant, a magazine publisher and a brewery owner via BBSs. Some of them have now started their own BBSs, thereby helping with "spreading the culture". Months (sometimes years) passed before I ever got to meet any of them face to face, but when I did, we were already the best of friends.

THE LOOK AND FEEL

A lot of a BBS's character stems from the way it is run, meaning that it more or less reflects the Sysop's own personality.

For example, the Kishore's BBS in Delhi is a great place to be connected to - messages, though mostly serious in nature, tend to have a hint of humour to them. Some of them are hilarious enough to bring the house down. I recall a particular discussion in the Windows forum, where a couple of Macintosh and PC users had a slug-out that went on for months, and every message was funny enough to drive tears of laughter to your eyes.

Being the Sysop of my own BBS, I will refrain from commenting on its character - you'll have to log in and judge for yourself.

GETTING CONNECTED

OK, enough of drooling - let's get you connected. First of all, find out the number of your nearest BBS. Set your communication parameters to 2400-N-8-1, and dial the number. If you hear a modem answering, you are getting there.

Some BBSs (like my own) use a device that detects a voice or modem call and routes the call accordingly. It does this by saying "Hello" a couple of times. If a human voice responds, it rings the phone, else it'll ring the modem. If you DON'T get connected to a modem, don't dial again repeatedly - some BBSs run only during certain hours of the day - call voice and check with people at the other end.

Once the modem has connected, you will be prompted for a User ID and password. Most BBSs allow you to register online by entering "NEW" as the User ID, after which it will take you through a short registration procedure. Be honest and complete while answering the questions that will be asked - don't enter a fictitious name or address. Most BBS Sysops will check the details and may even call back on the supplied phone number to verify them before granting access to the BBS. The real name and address of the member are rarely made public unless the member specifically requests it.

If a BBS charges a small amount for the access, it usually gives you some free time to explore the system before you decide whether you wish to pay. The amount payable is normally very small - just enough to help cover the costs of running the BBS. Many BBSs are completely free.

A BBS rarely assumes anything special at the caller's end - any computer with a modem and some sort of communication program, such as Procomm, Telix or Crosstalk, will do.

As a matter of fact, this creates another bonus - the people calling into the BBS need not be using PCs at all ! For example, I have used my PC and modem to communicate with Niyam in Delhi, who uses a Macintosh (and HATES PCs!) But I can send him a graphics file that I have created on my PC, and he can view that file on his Macintosh - a process not easily achievable if you want to use diskettes, since there is a disk compatibility problem. All I have to do is to upload the file into the BBS, and he downloads it from there.

LOOKING AROUND

Working with a BBS online isn't any more difficult than using most PC software today. Usually, the entire works is menu driven, meaning that you only have to pick the right selection to have something done. Many BBSs use ANSI terminal sequences to generate bright and colourful screens and menus, pleasant (and sometimes amusing) to look at and easy to use.

Once you are online, feel free to explore. If you need help, use the help function or leave mail for the Sysop. Some BBSs have a chat facility, which allows you to "page" the Sysop. If the Sysop is around, he may come online and you can "chat" via your keyboards and screens.

Don't hesitate to say something in a forum or conference. The sooner you do, the faster you are likely to feel the real power of "BBSing".

While many BBSs will have large selections of files available for downloading, don't call the BBS just for that. Try interacting with other members, and upload files yourself. Just make sure that the stuff you are sending is not virus infected or pirated - something that could cause your account to go down the bit-bucket very quickly.

WINDING UP

Oh, oh. Out of space again. OK, before quitting for the day, here is some info for you. Many readers have written or called me, asking me questions about this column, and also where they can get the utilities that I sometimes refer to. For this purpose, I maintain the PCQ forum on my BBS. You can pop your questions and comments there, as well as download the said programs. You can also send me e-mail on the system - address your messages to SYSOP.

Next month, I continue this thread by telling you how to call long distance without wrecking the budget.

Until then - Cheerio !