BBS documentary

[Barton]

I've been watching the past couple of days this documentary on the Bulletin Board System, which predated the internet. It is essential a compilation of interviews of former BBS innovators and users, which narrate the history and experience of the BBS. I'm only half way through the whole documentary, which is really long and divided up into sections.

Anyway, I thought I might want to share this with others here. Perhaps some people here even have found memories. Personally, I never knew about this back then and I rarely used a computer until the 2000s, but it's fascinating to know how the "internet" was back then.

1 - Baud:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnSz-Hb9LQY
2 - SysOp and Users:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aSPwPqHmrU
3 - Make it Pay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN8V1H5QFg4
4 - Fidonet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cm6EFYktRQ
5 - Artscene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl9yejh92tc
6 - HPSC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhmM0LONW7g
7 - No carrier:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bao0Owbdj8s
8 - Compression:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zvFeHtcxuA

[|iR|Focalor]

Ah yes, BBS. Where ALL the good porn was before it spread across the internet infectiously like the viruses sometimes embedded in it.

I never did BBS, but I had a couple friends that used to pass me stacks of CDs with some of the best porn. Sometimes worst porn with really ugly hairy bitches... sometimes the most vile disgusting vomit-inducing deviant shit imaginable (and yes, a LOT of it from Germany, what the fuck is wrong with German people!?!)... sometimes a little illegal (apparently porn with 17 year olds is legal in Holland). But all of it was apparently collected through the wonderful world of BBS.

[|iR|Focalor]

Just in case one of you dumb fuckers wanna start some shit about me having porn with 17 year olds...

To clarify, this was probably around 96 and 97, when I was 17. Obviously at that time I had no moral qualms about looking at naked 17 year old girls. I don't still have any of that shit, nor do I wish I did. I follow all fucking laws to the letter, especially that one. I've heard a few legal horror stories about people getting arrested for having that Holland/Netherlands porn shit sitting unknowingly on their hard drives. They get branded as people who "possessed underage porn", which to most people who aren't into viewing porn, they immediately assume the worst thing possible and think they had a bunch of naked pictures of 6 year olds. Yet another reason why just randomly clicking links on porn sites is a HORRIBLE idea. You never know when one of those links is gonna send you to a page with porn that may be legal in another country but is illegal in the US.

So remember kids. Always be safe and JERK OFF TO AMERICAN PORN ONLY! It's your patriotic duty!

[2d]

Focalor are you a fucking idiot? Hurry the fuck up and delete that last paragraph, you dont need to have that posted anywhere. as much as i wanna make fun of you, what you posted is bad

[ex]

Technically speaking, it's already recorded via Echelon, or of course, the brand-new super database out in Wyoming.  Wouldn't matter if he deleted it or not...but of course, doesn't really matter that he wrote it in the first place.  Statutes of limitations prevent him from being tried criminally on anything he just said.

And of course, no one gives a fuck about what someone did (as far as this goes) over 15 years ago.  Not even a big deal, medium-sized deal, or small deal.   

[|iR|Focalor]

Focalor are you a fucking idiot? Hurry the fuck up and delete that last paragraph, you dont need to have that posted anywhere. as much as i wanna make fun of you, what you posted is bad

I'm sorry that you think NOT looking at or possessing underage porn (according to the laws of the United States) is a bad thing.

What the fuck do I have to hide anyway? I'm a law abiding citizen. And when THAT isn't enough, I have a good lawyer. Civilians might fear the gun, but cops usually fear the lawyer. Odd isn't it? Cops work to supposedly uphold the law, yet when faced with the possibility of answering for their actions against an experienced lawyer, they realize just how much they might've forgotten about all of the intricate laws. Which one of us is the fucking criminal at that point?

[Barton]

Yeah, they did mention about adult websites, although I don't remember in which part of the documentary. They didn't really say anything noteworthy about it, outside of its existence, I believe. Specifically, I do not remember if it was when they were talking about the "internet" and the advent of web browsers, or if they were talking about seedy communities (e.g. cracks, warez) formed during the BBS era, since the whole documentary is about five hours long and I watched most of it in one sitting.

I'd probably say that I thought the coverage on phreaking and cracking was the most interesting to me. 13-15 year old kids finding phone codes so that they can have unlimited access to make long distance phone calls? lol, such crafty children. Also, I had no idea that software back then had copy-write protection measures. 20 years later and it still doesn't work. 

[|iR|Focalor]

Also, I had no idea that software back then had copy-write protection measures. 20 years later and it still doesn't work. 

In lieu of copyright protection measures like key codes, some have had the bright idea of making their games online-only like the latest Sims game. So crack key codes won't allow you access to the game servers to be able to play it. Dunno if there are any cracked copy servers to play on. I still don't get the Sims craze. I bought a copy of the first Sims game a month or two after it came out and people were raving about it. Spent all of one afternoon tinkering with it before I uninstalled it and filed it away in my pile of who-gives-a-shit games. Money well wasted I guess. Went back to playing Grand Theft Auto 3 instead. Definitely got my 45 dollars worth out of that one. I remember taking sick days off from work when I wasn't even sick just to sit home playing that one all damn day long. Then I made the mistake of telling my then-girlfriend about taking sick days to play video games for 14 hours a day. CUE THE BITCHING IN 3... 2... 1...